A federal judge granted a "brief administrative stay" on Tuesday, halting enforcement of the Trump administration's federal funding freeze just before it was set to go into effect.
But many programs across the country are still dealing with new uncertainty and questions, particularly those that receive government funding.
On Tuesday Scripps News spoke with Josh Protas, the Chief Advocacy and Policy Officer at Meals on Wheels, the national nonprofit dedicated to addressing hunger and isolation among America's senior citizens.
"There's a lot of confusion out there right now," Protas said. "Meals on Wheels programs get a substantial amount of their funding through the federal government that is granted to state units on aging, that in turn goes to area agencies on aging, to local providers. So it's not a benefit that goes directly to individuals, and our understanding is that it would still be subjected to the proposed funding freeze."
"About 37% of funding for Meals on Wheels programs around the country comes from the federal government. That helps to feed and provide social connections to 2.2 million seniors every year. So this would be a huge blow if there were a loss of that federal support, and the uncertainty right now that providers are facing and that seniors are facing is really harmful."
Watch the full interview with Protas in the video above.
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