A U.S. federal judge on Monday said President Donald Trump’s administration defied his order to unfreeze billions of dollars in federal grants despite the directive that the government should immediately release any withheld funds. 

According to the New York Times, the ruling by Judge John McConnell Jr. In Rhode Island, the federal court had ordered administration officials to comply with what the judge called “the plain text” of his ruling on January 29. 

Mr McConnell had written that the order was clear and unambiguous, and there were no impediments to the defendants’ compliance. 

The Trump administration lawyers appealed the judge’s initial order to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit by asking the appellate court to pause Mr McConnell’s order to keep federal funds flowing. 

A White House spokesman, Harrison Fields, said the executive order will hold up in court “because every action of the Trump-Vance administration is completely lawful.”

Mr Fields added, “Any legal challenge against it is nothing more than an attempt to undermine the will of the American people.”

Supporters of Mr Trump’s administration have accused the judges ruling against the president of overstepping their authority. 

Mr McConnell had earlier ordered the White House to unfreeze federal funds locked up by the White House budget office. 

A memo from the office had demanded that billions of dollars in grants be held back until they were determined to be in compliance with Mr Trump’s priorities and ideological agenda.