Local, county officials unsure of impact from Trump’s federal funding freeze
Hours before a federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump Administration’s wide-ranging plans Tuesday to freeze federal funds benefiting a slew of programs, local and county officials said they were taking a “wait and see” approach to see how it would impact their communities.
“It would be too early to tell,” Washington Commission Chairman Nick Sherman said of what the potential federal cuts could mean for various departments and programs. “We’re hearing different ideas that people are having.”
Sherman said the county is already facing state aid cuts to its aging services programs, so any stoppage in federal funds for social services could be painful since, in many cases, the federal government provides 80% in funding to some initiatives with the county expected to match the remaining amount.
“At the end of the day, we have to do what the U.S Congress and president allow us to do with funding,” said Sherman, who is a Republican. “It’s wait and see.”
Trump Administration officials have said there will not be a pause for any individual benefits, such as Social Security, Medicare, food stamps, student loans and scholarships, but the lack of specificity on any other programs have left many guessing on what funding might be cut or temporarily withheld. But just as the cuts were set to go into effect, Tuesday night, U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan granted a temporary injunction blocking the move.
That left county and local officials wrestling with what the administration’s plans and federal judge’s ruling could mean for them.
Fayette County Commissioner Dave Lohr said he is in favor of the federal funding freeze since he prefers a fiscally responsible approach to spending, where necessary items are prioritized over luxury items. Lohr also downplayed any negative speculation of the Republican president’s plans.
“‘It isn’t even logical to think that the (federal government) is going to do anything with Medicare or Social Security. … There won’t be freezes on those,” Lohr said. “The freezes I do see happening are things that are not necessary.”
Lohr, who is a Republican, has been vocal about his disapproval of spending any money, including state or federal grants, on walking and hiking trails and said he believes Trump officials are also fed up with what he categorized as “wasteful spending.”
“On the federal side … they are going to cut things that are not necessary and keep the things that are necessary. The ultimate goal is get out of the clouded area we’re in finically and start cutting the waste,” Lohr said.
While fellow Fayette County Commissioner Vincent Vicites said he does not think the freeze will impact grants that have already been decided, he worries that the government holding back other funds could derail initiatives like the broadband internet expansion project in the county.
“We have a pretty good plan in place for (the broadband initiative), and we were really looking forward to that funding coming through so we can make sure that people that want broadband services have the opportunity to get it,” Vicites said.
Vicites, who is a Democrat, remains hopeful that the grants that have already been agreed upon come to fruition.
“I would hope that every single grant would be allowed to proceed,” he said. “I think we had some really good planning when we sought these grants, and these could really help improve the quality of life in Fayette County.”
But there are still more questions than answers with little information trickling down about what the cuts or funding freezes could mean.
“It just came out. We’re monitoring it,” Greene County Chief Clerk Jeff Marshall said. “We don’t think it will have much of an impact, so we’ll see. We don’t think it will impact much of what we do.”
Greene County officials spoke with state leaders Tuesday about whether federal Department of Justice grants administered through the state government would be impacted, but even officials in Harrisburg have received no information about what might happen with that and other funding programs.
“We’ve heard nothing along those lines,” Marshall said. “We’ve heard nothing from the state. … We’re still just monitoring the situation. It’s business as usual and we’ll see where things go.”
Others aren’t so sure with the hasty rollout of the Trump Administration’s plan that’s light on details. Washington Mayor Jojo Burgess, a Democrat who appeared with former president Joe Biden on several occasions during his presidency, said he was worried about the uncertainty of the situation.
“We always have some concerns, but I haven’t had a chance to digest all of it yet,” Burgess said.
Burgess was especially concerned whether food banks would face funding cuts or if important childhood education programs, such as Head Start for preschool students, would be affected.
“It could be devastating to our youth with food insecurity and education. It doesn’t sound good on the surface,” Burgess said. “What are these cuts for? There are people who need these programs. What is your endgame? That’s what I want to know.”