OLYMPIA, Wash. – While temporarily halted by a federal judge, the Trump administration’s plans to pause federal grants and loans from being distributed is raising serious questions about school funding, social services and other programs provided by the state.
In a statement, Governor Bob Ferguson (D) decried the action by the White House.
“Presidents have significant powers and elections have consequences. However, President Trump’s refusal or inability to advance his priorities in a lawful and constitutional manner is creating needless and cruel chaos,” he said. “We’re confident that the courts will, once again, determine that he is exceeding his authority.”
Attorney General Nick Brown joined 21 other states in suing the federal government over the plans.
“The White House justifies this damaging move with culture war alarmism, but in reality they’re robbing governments and service providers of funds that keep people safe and serve urgent needs in all of our communities,” Brown said in a statement.
Before the administrative stay was issued, state agencies scrambled to figure out how the funding freeze would impact them.
The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction said they had not gotten a full list of what federal education grants are and are not included in the funding freeze.
“The announcement contains limited specifics, and we are working quickly to get as much information as possible,” State Superintendent Chris Reykdal said in a statement. “There are no reserves within the Legislature or within OSPI to cover any gaps in federal funds.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Social and Health Services said it was “too early to tell the potential impacts of the funding pause.”
WSDOT said they were working with federal partners for clarification on the federal directive.
State Senator June Robinson (D-Everett), chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, said the freeze adds “another layer of uncertainty” as the legislature tries to build a budget that addresses a multi-billion-dollar shortfall. But ultimately, the freeze is something they have “virtually no control over.”
“It is very alarming, and we have to wait and see what happens as the days and weeks go on,” Robinson said at a media availability Tuesday. “If federal funding goes away, we do not have the ability to backfill those dollars.”
At their own media availability Tuesday morning, legislative Republicans said they were not fully aware of all the details of the funding freeze, though it spoke to a larger concern they have raised for a while.
“We have got to do a better job managing the state’s budget so that we’re not so dependent on changes in revenue, whether it’s growth slowing, but still growing – or changes in federal policy,” said House Minority Leader Drew Stokesbary (R-Auburn).
Albert James is a television reporter covering state government as part of the Murrow News Fellowship program – a collaborative effort between news outlets statewide and Washington State University.
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