Recommended Free Tools
OMB’s federal financial assistance pause was a short-lived directive, not current OMB policy. Memorandum M-25-13, issued January 27, 2025, told agencies to review covered assistance programs and supporting activities and temporarily pause specified obligations and disbursements during that review. OMB rescinded it two days later, on January 29, through Memorandum M-25-14.
What was the federal financial assistance pause?
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) titled its January 27, 2025 memorandum Temporary Pause of Agency Grant, Loan, and Other Financial Assistance Programs. It directed agencies to identify and review federal financial assistance programs and supporting activities for consistency with presidential policies and requirements. The directive also called for a pause on specified obligations and disbursements while agencies conducted that review.
The memo defines federal financial assistance by reference to 2 CFR 200.1 and sets out scope provisions, exclusions, and agency review procedures. It should not be read as an unqualified freeze on every federal payment. The original text is available in OMB Memorandum M-25-13.
When was the memo issued and rescinded?
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| January 27, 2025 | OMB issued M-25-13, directing agency reviews and a temporary pause for specified obligations and disbursements. Source: M-25-13. |
| January 29, 2025 | OMB issued M-25-14, which states: “OMB Memorandum M-25-13 is rescinded.” Source: M-25-14. |
The OMB memoranda index lists both memoranda and their dates. The Department of Education’s updated guidance, issued January 30, 2025, also reported that OMB had rescinded M-25-13 the previous day.
#1 Best Overall
What did the memo say about its scope?
M-25-13 concerned federal financial assistance programs and supporting activities, subject to its own scope language, exclusions, and procedures. The precise question of whether a particular grant, loan, payment, or agency activity fell within the directive depends on those provisions and how the responsible agency applied them. A broad shorthand such as “all federal funding was frozen” goes beyond what the memo’s text establishes.
At a January 29, 2025 White House briefing, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said direct individual assistance would not be affected. That was the administration’s public explanation at the briefing, not a replacement for the written scope and exclusions in M-25-13. See the January 29 White House briefing transcript.
Rank #2
- Ideal for Gifting
- Ideal for a bookworm
- Compact for travelling
What does the rescission mean now?
M-25-13 is a historical directive that OMB rescinded on January 29, 2025; it is not current OMB policy. The rescission ended that memorandum as the basis for the pause it directed. It does not, by itself, resolve the status of every later federal assistance policy or agency-specific funding action. For a current funding question, identify the program, the administering agency, and the date, then consult that agency’s applicable guidance.
Quick Recap
Best Value
Rank #3
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →
