Some towns paid the U.S. Census Bureau to produce new local population counts to try to get more funding. But Trump's hiring freeze derailed their special census plans — and could hurt the 2030 count.

Harvard University is the latest school to implement a hiring freeze as federal funding remains uncertain. President Trump has threatened to cut federal funding for schools that allow "illegal" protests. Universities use millions of dollars in federal funding for student aid and research programs.

Atlanta-based Emory University is among a number of institutions of higher education to announce hiring freezes recently, citing the uncertainty around federal funding.