The decision led to legal action by a group of mostly Democrat-led states. Ten Republican senators also wrote to the Trump administration urging it to reverse the funding freeze.

The Trump Administration has tried—and failed—to put tensions over its handling of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's case to bed for weeks. But they’ve only continued to escalate as news outlets have reported new information related to President Donald Trump’s years-long relationship with Epstein and potential inclusion in files related to the case.