After the Trump administration rescinded a memo announcing a freeze on federal funding that caused chaos and panic across the country, Connecticut officials responded with a mix of outrage and relief.

U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney took it as a victory after nationwide panic over what the funding freeze would mean.

“Today’s rescission of President Trump’s unconstitutional order is a victory for our republic and the rule of law. The massive external public blowback from across the country prevailed. Our checks and balances are alive and well,” Courtney said.

State Treasurer Erick Russell also took the reversal as a victory of the people.

“Yesterday, tens of thousands of Connecticut families were needlessly jarred by the threat of losing their healthcare, childcare, jobs, and livelihoods because of a reckless, unlawful abuse of executive power,” Russell said in a statement. “Fortunately, our democratic institutions stood up. Our state and congressional leaders loudly objected to a clear violation of the separation of powers, and our Attorney General, joined by his peers and nonprofit leaders, petitioned the courts and won an injunction. Most importantly, millions of Americans raised their voices in protest. As we anticipate further efforts to overreach and create chaos, we will continue to work with our state and federal leadership to safeguard the interest of Connecticut residents and the state’s economy.”

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal said the “whiplash” further exacerbated the disruption and damage.

“This one-line walking our country back from the cliff of national disaster is the result of massive outcry from real people seeing real damage in their everyday lives from President Trump’s cruel, dictatorial seizure of power,” Blumenthal said in a statement. “But the stark reality remains: if they did it once, they can do it again. I have heard from countless individuals and groups in Connecticut who suffered intense anxiety and fear during the chaos of the last 48 hours.

When President Donald Trump later issued his own statement, calling news reports that the he had walked back the funding freeze “a hoax,” Blumenthal updated his statement, adding, “As I said before, if they did it once, they can do it again – and it looks like they already have. This federal funding freeze is theft and corruption – looting community health centers and domestic violence shelters to finance tax cuts for billionaires. These reckless actions amount to a seizure of power putting our nation on a path to tyranny.”

Gov. Ned Lamont took it as a sign of the administration’s incompetence, rather than a calculated act.

““This freeze would have left millions of Americans in uncertainty, particularly those who need access to life necessities like food, housing, education, and healthcare,” Lamont said. “There was not enough analysis completed by the White House to fully understand its impact, which would have undoubtedly been overwhelming. This decision was the right move, and we’re relieved that for now, common sense prevailed.”

But Trump’s statement, just before 6 p.m., warned that the freeze was not off the table.

“HOAX: A score of Fake News outlets, including Axios, CNN, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and many others, claimed President Trump’s directive to temporarily pause certain federal spending was ‘rescinded,’” the White House communication said. “FACT: No such thing took place. Instead, a memo from the Office of Management and Budget was rescinded in an effort to alleviate confusion — and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed President Trump’s order remains “in full force and effect, and will be rigorously implemented” as the administration works to root out waste, fraud, and abuse.”

State Attorney William Tong, who joined 20 other attorneys general in suing the Trump administration and Tuesday called the freeze “a war on the American people” and “brazenly unconstitutional and unlawful” said officials should not let down their guard.

“I do not for a second believe this threat is over,” Tong said in a statement. “Trump’s actions caused massive confusion and chaos for Connecticut families and across every level of government and our economy. The announcements from the White House today are just more confusion and chaos. We are in court today, and we are going to stay there for as long as it takes to protect Connecticut families and our state.”

U.S. Chris Murphy, who had called the original memo “what a king does,” on X said the memo withdrawal was a means of getting around the judge’s stay blocking the funding freeze.

“The funding shutdown is still in place. They are just doing it without the piece of paper,” he said in one tweet. And “Crisis is deepening, not abating. They are trying to ignore the court order,” in another.

Democratic legislative leaders used the opportunity to highlight Republicans’ response to the funding crisis that would have impacted the salaries of nearly 3,000 state employees and had Tuesday already caused funding problems for Medicaid and Head Start.

“From the moment this disastrous and politically motivated freeze was announced, Connecticut Senate Democrats made our outrage loud, clear, and unequivocal,” Senate President Martin Looney and Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff said in a statement. “We were horrified that Donald Trump’s White House, Republicans in Washington, and their Republican enablers here in Connecticut would be so dismissive of the funding that our communities rely on.

“We hoped that Connecticut Republicans will join us and speak out against Trump’s proposed cuts to the programs that we all rely on, but their response to date has been callous and cold-hearted. They applauded Trump’s ‘common-sense efforts’ and declared Connecticut’s concerns about Trump as ‘theatrics’ and ‘gaslighting.’ But the bedlam of the Trump administration speaks for itself,” Looney and Duff said.

Emily Byrne, executive director of the nonprofit watchdog Connecticut Voices for Children, said the organization was pleased with the decision but bracing for an ongoing fight.

“We are grateful to our many partners in Connecticut and across the country who quickly stood up against an action that, if implemented, would have had devastating consequences for children and hardworking families,” Byrne said. “It is because of our collective outcry that we were heard.

“This small win, however, should not in any way imply that the fight is over—far from it. The federal budget debate will likely continue the conversation regarding cuts to critical supports for our communities in favor of tax cuts for billionaires and the uber-wealthy. As such, we are committed to pushing back on any new attempts to defund core programs,” Byrne said.