FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a signing ceremony for an executive order in the East Room at the White House in Washington, U.S., March 21, 2019. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts/File Photo

(Corrects headline and story to say Trump signed presidential memorandum, not executive order)

(Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday signed a presidential memorandum aimed at preventing federal grant money from going toward political lobbying, the White House said.

The memo directs Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate whether funds from federal grants "are being illegally used to support lobbying activities and to take appropriate enforcement action," according to a White House fact sheet.

(Reporting by Ismail Shakil in Ottawa and Ryan Patrick Jones in Toronto)