Democratic members of Colorado’s congressional delegation on Tuesday sounded the alarm over the Trump administration’s sweeping freeze on federal aid, branding the move “reckless” and an unconstitutional power grab. The state’s Republican members of Congress, however, cautioned against over-reacting, characterizing the plan as a much-needed chance to review spending, while stressing its temporary status.

Lawmakers on both sides acknowledged the confusion swirling around the federal budget office’s directive and urged constituents to reach out for help navigating its aftermath.

The directive, issued late Monday by the Office of Management and Budget, instructed all federal agencies to put a temporary pause on federal spending related to the incoming administration’s flurry of executive orders, “including, but not limited to, financial assistance for foreign aid, nongovernmental organizations, DEI, woke gender ideology, and the green new deal.” It requires a review of all such spending for consistency with current presidential policies.

A federal judge temporarily blocked the plan late Tuesday in response to a lawsuit filed by a national consortium of nonprofit groups. Also on Tuesday, Colorado’s Democratic Attorney General Phil Weiser joined with attorneys general from more than 20 other states in a separate lawsuit that argued the move was an illegal violation of the separation of powers.

“Donald Trump’s reckless and unconstitutional action to freeze essentially all federal spending is going to hurt ALL Americans in both red and blue states,” said U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, a Denver Democrat, in a statement. “The American people did not vote for this. We do not have a king in our country, no matter how highly Donald Trump regards himself.”

Noting that Trump was putting a pause on spending approved by Congress, DeGette added that the move set “a dangerous precedent that erodes our system of checks and balances” and called on the White House to “reverse course immediately.”

U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, a Windsor Republican, dismissed complaints about the freeze as misguided and sought to allay fears stoked by news reports.

“Before listening to the fearmongering of Democrats, Coloradans should know the OMB’s action is narrow in scope and does not apply to programs like Medicare, Social Security, Medicaid, SNAP, funding for farmers and small businesses, and programs that provide direct benefits to Coloradans,” Boebert said in a statement, citing the directive’s exemptions for authorized payments directly to individuals.

“This is a necessary, temporary pause for specific programs listed under Executive Orders that must be evaluated as part of following through on President Trump’s promise to cut wasteful spending; our office is working with constituents to address concerns and provide more information as we receive it,” she said.

The state’s Democratic lawmakers highlighted the uncertainty faced by Coloradans who rely on federally funded programs.

“The Trump Administration needs to reverse this reckless and shortsighted decision immediately,” Democratic U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet posted to X. “It will wreak havoc on Colorado police, and fire departments, schools, and hospitals that depend on federal grants.”

His fellow Democrat, U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper, warned that the freeze could threaten funding across the state.

“What does this mean for Colorado? Funding to our police departments, our rural hospitals, programs for homeless veterans. Nearly 9,000 kids in CO Head Start programs may be locked out,” Hickenlooper posted to X. “Trump is sacrificing working Americans.”

In a later post, Hickenlooper cited reports that Meals on Wheels providers didn’t know if they’d have funding to continue their services, leaving seniors worried.

“25,000+ seniors across Colorado are going to wake up tomorrow not knowing if they’ll be able to eat because of President Trump,” Hickenlooper said.

After the judge temporarily blocked the funding freeze, Hickenlooper took a shot at the Trump administration’s approach.

“There’s a hold on this — for now. A delay still leaves Coloradans confused about whether they’ll be able to access critical services or if Trump will manufacture more chaos,” he posted. “We should be working to solve problems, not create more.”

Other Democratic lawmakers struck a similar note.

“The Trump administration is creating chaos & confusion with its order stopping federal loan & grant programs,” posted U.S. Rep. Jason Crow, an Aurora Democrat, adding that his office wanted to hear from constituents who might be impacted by the funding freeze.

U.S. Rep. Brittany Pettersen, a Lakewood Democrat, also urged constituents to share their stories.

“Trump’s freeze on federal loan & grant programs is reckless and could hurt thousands of Colorado families,” she said in a post on X.

U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans dismissed what he described as alarmist rhetoric in response to the freeze in a video the Fort Lupton Republican posted online.

“First, the freeze is temporary and designed to give time for the White House to review where the government is overspending,” Evans said, noting that agencies have until Feb. 10 to report back on their programs.

Conceding that the announcement that sparked the uproar was a “general memo with very little specifics,” Evans derided “the inflammatory, fear-based language you’re hearing from the left,” which he insisted “doesn’t help anyone, nor is it based in fact.”

Evans said he was “supportive of reviewing where our government is too bloated or spending on frivolous initiatives such as DEI,” adding that “this is something the American people want.”

A spokesman for U.S. Rep. Jeff Hurd told Colorado Politics that the Grand Junction Republican’s office is “evaluating the nature and scope of the OMB order, and working to identify the ways it may impact constituents in CO-03.”

A spokeswoman for U.S. Rep. Jeff Crank, a Colorado Springs Republican, didn’t respond to a request for comment.