The withdrawal of the federal freeze was a stunning about-face for President Donald Trump’s White House, which has so far pushed the envelope to reshape the federal government, sowing chaos and confusion in firing career civil servants, pausing foreign aid programs and offering federal workers a buyout.

Several executive orders Trump signed last week pause or end some federal funding. Those executive orders, which remain in place, include the freezing of foreign aid, all funds to federal grantees who received money for DEI-related purposes and all funds appropriated through the Inflation Reduction Act.

The federal government fell into chaos Tuesday as officials braced for potential interruptions to programs that range from protecting food safety to responding to natural disasters.