All four members of Maine’s congressional delegation, together with Gov. Janet Mills, criticized the Trump administration’s sweeping order Tuesday to freeze the use of federal grant funds, calling the directive disruptive, vague, unconstitutional and illegal.

Meanwhile, Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey joined a multistate lawsuit filed so far by 23 states — including Massachusetts, California and New York — to reverse Trump’s order.

And amid chaos in Washington and around the country, U.S. District Judge Loren L. AliKhan blocked the funding order Tuesday afternoon, minutes before it was set to go into effect at 5 p.m. The administrative stay, prompted by a separate lawsuit brought by nonprofit groups, lasts until Monday afternoon.

“The president’s withholding of federal funding is unconstitutional and demands legal action, which is why I am joining with my colleagues to hold the president accountable. In addition to being unlawful, this indiscriminate action to hold back congressionally authorized federal funds generates needless uncertainty for so many individuals, families, and businesses who should be able to reasonably rely upon the funds committed to their well-being,” Frey said in a written statement Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Maine’s Medicaid web portal was inaccessible Tuesday, according to state officials. Maine was one of numerous states to report an inability to access the platform used by providers to submit claims for reimbursements.

“Maine is currently not able to access the system, but the White House has said that we should expect access soon. We hope that is the case,” said Lindsay Hammes, a spokesperson for the Maine Department of Health and Human Services.

Exactly what that meant for patients is not yet clear.

White House officials told national news correspondents Tuesday that the portal will be operating “soon” and that no payments would be affected.

MaineHousing officials said public housing agencies also were unable to access payment portals Tuesday for programs such as rental assistance and to construct new housing developments. That could have delayed closings for some developments, and if the rental assistance portal is inoperable for much longer, it could delay the payments landlords are due to receive, among other impacts.

“It’s been a very chaotic day, very alarming and deeply, deeply concerning. … It’s hard to tell what programs are going to be directly impacted,” said MaineHousing Director Dan Brennan.

Trump’s order caused a furor in Washington and left politicians, companies and Americans nationwide confused about its impact.

Sen. Angus King of Maine, an independent, called the directive “blatantly unconstitutional,” while Reps. Chellie Pingree, D-1st District, and Jared Golden, D-2nd District, both said the order is causing widespread fear and could harm a wide range of programs serving Mainers.

And unlike most other Republicans in Congress who withheld criticism, Sen. Susan Collins said the order was “far too sweeping” and will disrupt important services.

Pingree lambasted Trump for freezing funds, which she said could have immediate impacts on programs like Head Start, school lunches, police and nonprofits that receive support from federal grants.

Pingree, in a phone interview, said the Trump administration is trying to make it seem like it is cutting wasteful spending but instead is freezing funds for vital programs.

“(Trump is) just lying to people and causing total chaos. This is causing panic through all kinds of entities funded by the federal government,” Pingree said. “I’m really angry the president would push this. We, the legislative branch, are the ones who fund the government, and the executive branch is the one to implement it. This goes against the separation of powers.”

Mills also added her voice to the chorus of criticism in Washington, with the Democratic governor saying in a written statement that she has “serious questions about the extent and scope of his decision; the impact it will have on Maine people and businesses, especially the most vulnerable in our state; and his legal authority to issue such an edict.”

Before the judge’s order, the freeze was set to take effect at 5 p.m. Tuesday, according to an Office of Management and Budget memo. It was unclear, amid intense criticism and confusion Tuesday, just how sweeping its impact would be.

Pingree praised the judge’s order in a written statement.

“For now, the courts have recognized the harm and chaos that this reckless directive from the Trump administration would have caused and issued a temporary stay,” Pingree said. “But this fight is certainly not over.”

According to Trump officials, the freeze is necessary to make sure all spending complies with the president’s executive orders, which are intended to undo progressive steps on transgender rights, environmental justice, and diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, efforts.

The decision by the Republican administration could affect trillions of dollars and cause widespread disruption in health care research, education programs and other initiatives. Even grants that have been awarded but not spent were supposed to be halted.

“The use of federal resources to advance Marxist equity, transgenderism, and green new deal social engineering policies is a waste of taxpayer dollars that does not improve the day-to-day lives of those we serve,” said a memo from Matthew Vaeth, the acting director of the Office of Management and Budget.

Democrats in Congress said the president lacks the constitutional authority to block congressionally approved funding.

King, during a news conference in Washington, said the order is “so grossly, blatantly unconstitutional and threatening to the foundation of the separation of powers under the Constitution.”

He said the order is an “usurpation of authority. I believe I’ve never seen anything quite like this in American history. Richard Nixon tried to do it.”

“Imagine for a moment if Joe Biden did this or there was a Republican Senate, Republican Congress, and they passed a statute saying we want to fund Head Start, and Joe Biden said, ‘No, I don’t like Head Start. I’d rather put the money over here,'” King said.

Speaking to reporters in a Senate hallway, Collins said “there certainly is justification to take a hard look at some programs, but this is far too sweeping and will cause disruption in the administration of a lot of important programs and services.”

“So, I appreciate that the administration did exempt Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, but I’m still concerned about the impact,” Collins said in remarks that were recorded by her office and sent to the Press Herald. “I’m hearing from nonprofit organizations in Maine who were expecting funding, and all of a sudden, it’s been disrupted, educational institutions that were awarded grants. And I’m concerned about what it’s going to mean across the board. I’m still trying to seek information on the breadth of it.”

Pingree said she had already heard from Head Start officials and other nonprofits that they tried to draw on previously approved federal funding on Tuesday, and were blocked from doing so.

Golden said in a written statement that his office has been “fielding calls all day about President Trump’s freeze on federal grants, including from farmers and fishermen awaiting funds they were promised to support jobs and our economy, manufacturers, tribal health clinics, municipalities awaiting disaster relief, and other service providers.”

Golden said that the order “could have real impact on Mainers, but the vagueness of the president’s memo means we currently have more questions than answers.”

Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline said in a written statement that its a “deeply troubling decision with profound consequences for the residents of Lewiston. Programs like the HUD Choice Neighborhood grant and funding for critical infrastructure projects, such as the construction of Lewiston’s new fire station, directly impact our community’s public safety, housing, and economic stability.”

Staff Writer Daniel Kool contributed. This report contains material from The Associated Press.