How would Trump’s federal grant freeze affect Nebraska families? No one knows

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Nebraska schools and organizations spent Tuesday trying to understand the potential impact of President Donald Trump’s freeze on federal grants and loans.

The freeze was set to go into effect at 4 p.m., but moments before, a federal judge placed a hold on the freeze until Monday.

Still, the American public was left with many unanswered questions on how this freeze would make a difference in their lives.

Parents were concerned about potential cuts to school breakfast and lunch programs.

Lincoln Public Schools said it is working to get clear answers on how the freeze could impact students.

SEE ALSO: Federal judge temporarily blocks Trump administration freeze on federal grants and loans

For a while, it was also unclear whether Head Start programs would lose their federal funding.

But the White House said it will not be affected.

“This is not a blanket pause on federal assistance and grant programs from the Trump administration,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.

She said the freeze will not include federal assistance to individuals like Social Security, Medicare and food stamps.

The University of Nebraska system gave guidance to students and said Pell grants and federally sponsored direct student loans will not be affected.

But the university is looking into the question of whether funding would be frozen for federally sponsored research or other programs.

Leavitt said the freeze is intended to enforce Trump’s recent executive orders.

“It means no more funding for illegal DEI programs,” she said. “It means no more funding for the ‘green new scam’ that costs American taxpayers tens of millions of dollars. It means no more funding for ‘transgenderism’ and ‘wokeness’ across our federal bureaucracies and agencies.”