A federal judge stiffened her order blocking President Trump from carrying out his general government funding pause by issuing a preliminary injunction Tuesday.

Judge Loren L. Alikhan had previously placed a temporary restraining order on the administration. The injunction serves as a more lasting blockade.

She warned of “potentially catastrophic harm” if the funding pause were to move forward.

And she said even though the spigot has been turned back on, the threat of shutting it off again hangs over all of the groups that rely on that money for their operations.

“While funds have resumed flowing to some recipients, that does not erase the imminence or irreparability of what another pause would entail,” she wrote.

Judge Alikhan said there appeared to be no basis in law for the White House budget office’s January order pausing grant assistance programs.

She called it a “breathtaking” claim of power by the executive branch, covering as much as $3 trillion.

Because she — and another federal judge in Rhode Island — had already issued restraining orders, her ruling shouldn’t immediately change the funding picture.

But it does create a decision that the administration can appeal to a higher court.

• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.