But the spending freeze – along with other key moves early in this presidency, including the firing of Justice Department prosecutors and a bid to repeal birthright citizenship – also reflects Trump’s view that the presidency has almost unlimited power and he can simply decide what is legal and what isn’t.

A federal judge has issued an administrative stay, pausing the start date of the Trump administration’s federal funding freeze until Monday. The freeze was scheduled to take effect Tuesday at 5 p.m. ET.