The vague language in the Trump administration’s freeze on federal funding prompted “chaos” and “confusion” among organizations dependent upon the trillions of dollars potentially impacted.

Because there were so many questions about the order from the White House Office of Management and Budget, local leaders spent Tuesday trying to determine how it could affect their communities and people they serve — and how they could respond.

Around the Pioneer Valley, people reacted to Trump’s order before a federal judge temporarily blocked it moments before it was to take effect at 5 p.m. U.S. District Judge Loren L. AliKhan’s ruling will stay the White House directive until Monday.

The University of Massachusetts was in the process of evaluating what might happen to support for academics and research, said spokesperson Emily Gest.

“We’re actively monitoring and assessing the situation to understand any potential impact,” Gest wrote in an email. “Despite these uncertainties, we are committed to ensuring our students are positioned for academic and personal success, and faculty continue to undertake groundbreaking research and scholarship.”

At the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, based in Chicopee, which serves the needs of food pantries and survival centers throughout the region, leaders were working with local legislators and partners to understand how a pause could impact services, and how they might prepare.

“We don’t know what the impact will be,” said Deb Ondo, communications and engagement manager for the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts. But, Ondo said that, thanks to built-up reserves of food and funding, “our programs will continue as they usually do.”

While Ondo explained that the food bank relies on food donations from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, what she and her colleagues will be monitoring is whether Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits might be impacted by a funding freeze. A significant change to SNAP benefits could mean more people needing more food assistance, something Ondo said the food bank wants to be prepared for if the time comes.

At a news briefing Tuesday afternoon, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said “assistance that is going directly to individuals will not be impacted,” naming “food stamps” as a form of federal aid that would not be challenged by the freeze. However, Easthampton Mayor Nicole LaChapelle noted that disruptions to other programs may cause a “shuffling,” where people apply to programs that are “safe.” LaChapelle questioned, though, if there is a greater need for certain unaffected programs, “does that mean that the federal government is going to fund [those programs] to that level?”

At Community Action Pioneer Valley in Greenfield, Executive Director Clare Higgins said about two-thirds of the agency’s money comes from the federal government, but much of that comes from the state and the implications of the freeze need to be explored further. Community Action, however, does have three direct contracts with the federal government for its Head Start program, its Older Adult Home Modification Program and the Three County Continuum of Care.

The Head Start program, which was originally one of the main concerns among Higgins and others in the nonprofit world, would not be subject to the freeze, according to a memo from the Office of Management and Budget issued Tuesday afternoon.

Higgins noted that staff have been informed that programs will continue, although she is concerned about the additional stress added onto their plates.

“I worry about staff, you know — the people that work for us, they work really hard,” she said. “They bring their heart to work every day because they have to care about the people that they’re working with and I don’t want them to be worried about how they’re going to pay their bills.”

Higgins added she disagrees with the freeze “as a matter of law” because the money is appropriated by Congress and Community Action has been a responsible steward of federal money for many years. Until matters are resolved, though, services will continue.

“We continue to be open for business,” she said. “Our participants should not worry about receiving their services.”

LifePath, too, is anticipating further guidance on whether federal money drawn down through the state is affected. In LifePath’s case, its money comes through the Executive Office of Aging & Independence, and Executive Director Gary Yuhas said the agency is experiencing a bit of “whiplash” while it tries to figure out if programs would be affected.

Its Meals on Wheels program is federally funded, but LifePath will continue funding it, he said.

“Meals on Wheels is our most concerning program and we will continue funding Meals on Wheels and all federally funded programming,” Yuhas said. “Our kitchen in Erving serves about 700 meals every day and those meals not only provide essential nutrition, but also a wellness check.”

‘Blatantly unconstitutional’

With questions swirling about the impact of the freeze, the Washington D.C. office of U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern was inundated with calls Tuesday from town managers, mayors and municipal officials from western and central Massachusetts, as well as representatives with numerous local organizations, such as community health centers and law enforcement agencies.

“We’ve been in touch with folks throughout the whole district and trying to figure out what’s going on,” Matt Bonaccorsi, a spokesperson for McGovern, said Tuesday morning.

Bonaccorsi said the office had been informed of some challenges, such as Head Start administrators being unable to log into the funding system to pay its personnel, and Meals on Wheels providers being unsure about making deliveries to homebound senior citizens.

“Complete chaos and complete confusion,” Bonaccorsi said. “The chaos is unbelievable.”

But without concrete information, Bonaccorsi said little information could be relayed. He said McGovern has been in touch with Rosa DeLauro, D-Connecticut, as the ranking member of the House Committee on Appropriations, and is confident that because appropriations were already made by Congress, the White House orders will not stand up to legal scrutiny.

“This is blatantly, blatantly, blatantly unconstitutional,” Bonaccorsi said.

U.S. Rep. Richard Neal said that he sees the pause to federal funding as an act of “attention grabbing.”

“Presidents have always threatened to impound federal spending,” Neal said, adding that they have “always lost in federal court.” But he emphasized that the language being used to describe the freeze is “pause” rather than “impound.”

Neal said the president’s action is “clearly unconstitutional” as the federal funds he is “pausing” have already been approved and appropriated by Congress.

“The legal action will start immediately,” he said.

Franklin Regional Council of Governments Executive Director Linda Dunlavy said the agency is planning to “watch and monitor” how the situation develops, especially as 50%, or $4 million, of FRCOG’s grant funding comes from the federal government.

“It’s service to the region, it’s projects to the region that we’re watching out for,” Dunlavy said Tuesday afternoon.

FRCOG Housing and Livability Program Manager Megan Rhodes noted a funding freeze would further affect the municipalities the agency serves.

“It’s not necessarily our agency that would be impacted, but it’s more our communities,” Rhodes said. “It’s more than just us.”

Like FRCOG’s officials, state Rep. Susannah Whipps, I-Athol, also said she needs to step back and see the results of the freeze.

“I don’t want to be, ‘The sky is falling,’” Whipps said. “I really want to look and see and give our federal partners the opportunity to do some maneuvering.”

The effects were also being analyzed in the North Quabbin area, where Athol Town Manager Shaun Suhoski said the town has a number of projects in the works or soon to begin that rely on federal funding. The town recently received a $500,000 grant through the Environmental Protection Agency that will be used to assess “challenged” properties in town, such as the former Cass Toy Factory, to see if they can be cleaned up and reused.

Suhoski said the grant agreement has been processed and a request for proposals has been completed. Historically, he said these projects have received bipartisan support.

“We’ll need to analyze if [the grant freeze] will impact that particular program,” he said.

Athol Daily News Editor Max Bowen contributed to this report.