Whatcom County officials, nonprofits grapple with uncertainty amid federal funding freeze
President Donald Trump’s order late Monday that paused federal grants and loans could affect millions of dollars awarded to Whatcom County government and nonprofit agencies, endangering projects to build roads and bridges, expand the Port of Bellingham and pay for school meals.
A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked part of the Trump administration’s plans to halt all federal aid, major news organizations reported.
Even so, local officials were struggling to understand the breadth and depth of the possible cuts. They affect funds that have been passed by Congress and were signed by President Joe Biden.
Bellingham Public Schools officials said that district officials are still assessing the implications of Trump’s order.
“It is too early to understand the impact of this executive action on our schools, if any. We expect that state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction will provide some information soon,” spokeswoman Dana Smith told The Bellingham Herald.
Mike Hogan, spokesman for the Port of Bellingham, told The Herald that officials were “monitoring this situation closely” and keeping in touch with the state’s members of Congress, who secured millions in federal funds for the Port this year.
“At this point, we do not know what, if any, impacts there will be on the important, job-creating federal infrastructure grants we have secured for Whatcom County,” Hogan said.
City of Bellingham spokeswoman Melissa Morin said city officials are still examining the implications of the president’s sudden order.
Jed Holmes, spokesman for Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu, told The Herald that the Finance Division is evaluating which projects or funding sources are at risk.
“That review is going to take some time. The rough list of things potentially at risk in the short term includes federal money for road and bridge projects (like the Lake Samish bridge replacement), pending FEMA grants related to November 2021 floods, and money distributed through Community Development Block Grants,” Holmes said in an email.
“The largest risk over the mid-term is probably the $25 million RAISE Grant, awarded in 2022 for construction of a new ferry to Lummi Island. That said, we don’t have a good sense of the intended time frame for the freeze and the impact of judicial reviews. It looks like the courts will be weighing in on this matter,” he said.
Amy Cloud, spokeswoman for the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office Division of Emergency Management, said that “federal grants and loans provide foundational support” to the countywide efforts to plan for and respond to natural disasters such as flooding and windstorms.
“As for specific WCSO and DEM programs and financial impacts, that will take some research. Right now, we’re watching this all unfold just as you are,” Cloud told The Herald.
U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, a Washington Democrat, said Trump’s action was “brazen and illegal: at a hastily-called press conference early Tuesday morning.
“The scope of this illegal action is unprecedented and could have devastating consequences across the country for real people. We could see a screeching halt to resources for child care, housing, police officers, opioid addiction treatment, rebuilding roads and bridges, and even disaster relief efforts. This is funding that communities are expecting, and this memo has sown chaos and confusion about whether these resources will be available to them,” Murray said.
Several local nonprofits — many of which rely heavily on federal funding to maintain operations — echoed sentiments of uncertainty Tuesday about how the funding freeze could directly impact their programs and the communities they serve.
Mercy Housing Northwest President Joe Thompson said the organization was “deeply concerned” about the action. The nonprofit operates nine affordable housing projects in Whatcom County.
“One potential impact is that many of our properties and residents rely on federal programs such as section 8 to ensure deep affordability,” Thompson said in a statement to The Herald. “If those contracts are frozen it would be highly detrimental to our residents and our organization.“
Local nonprofit Sustainable Connections relies on secured and anticipated federal funding to support a large portion of its annual operating budget, according to Executive Director Derek Long.
“Sustainable Connections relies on federal funding to deliver critical services to our community. Our federally funded programming includes energy assessments to small and low-income businesses, tribal entities, and nonprofits, food recovery for individuals and families in need, and education for rural youth on careers in agriculture,” Long said in a statement to The Herald.
The Bellingham Food Bank receives federal funding through the USDA and ARPA funds. It also receives free federal food from the USDA commodities program. Executive Director Mike Cohen told The Herald that any reduction in people’s access to benefits could be very harmful and push even more people to food banks.
“If there is an interruption in WIC, food stamps, Meals on Wheels, rental assistance, school meals, Medicaid, VA, etc., it will make people’s lives even harder, which could lead to an increase in people coming to food banks,” Cohen said.
