American student loan debt is sky-high, with some estimates putting the total number over $2.19 trillion—that’s higher than all U.S. credit card and auto loan debt combined. President Joe Biden and his administration made numerous attempts to alleviate the burden of student loans,

The memorandum from the Office of Management and Budget said that the hold would not impact Medicare, Social Security benefits or other payments that are “provided directly to individuals,” but that exception still left exposed trillions of dollars in spending on programs that are primarily routed through third parties before reaching Americans.

With President Donald Trump back in the White House, a number of student loan programs face uncertainty. Trump is a vocal critic of debt forgiveness policies.

A temporary freeze imposed briefly this week by the White House on federal grants and loans left many students wondering about the impact to the FAFSA form used to apply for financial aid.

The federal pause does not affect federal student loans or Pell Grants, but its impact on other student aid programs remains unclear.

Federal Pell grants and direct student loans are not affected by the White House's temporary pause on federal grants and loans, the U.S. Department of Education confirmed Tuesday. The clarification comes after the Office of Management and Budget ordered federal agencies to halt federal funding assistance as President Donald Trump's administration begins to review programs for compliance with his recently signed executive orders.