The White House Office of Management and Budget on Wednesday rescinded a memo that froze federal grants and loans and created widespread confusion this week.

The White House budget office on Wednesday rescinded an order freezing federal grants, according to a copy of a new memo obtained by The Washington Post, after the administration’s move to halt spending earlier this week provoked a backlash.

The OMB memo had directed federal agencies to pause grants and loans pending a review of compliance with the agenda of President Donald Trump.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Social Security, Medicare and food stamps would not be affected by the decision to freeze federal aid. NBC News’ Sahil Kapur reports on the Trump administration’s first White House press briefing and whether Medicaid could be among the programs affected.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt vehemently defended the administration’s sweeping freeze on federal aid, arguing Tuesday in her first press briefing that it was critical to scrutinize the scope of the government’s spending.

That came after the first press briefing of the new Administration, which was dominated by questions about the freeze. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters,

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, during her first press briefing, faced a barrage of questions on the administration's freeze on federal aid programs.

Karoline Leavitt, President Trump’s White House Press Secretary, hosted the first press briefing of Trump’s second term. Reporters asked Leavitt about Trump’s decision to freeze federal aid and grants.