By Rachel Ravina
NORRISTOWN — Elected officials in Montgomery County responded to a memo from President Donald Trump’s administration announcing plans to freeze federal funding that sent shock waves through the nation on Tuesday.
The county receives more than $140 million in federal grant funding each year, according to a statement from the county.
“While the long-term implications of the Trump administration’s directive are unclear, what we do know is: This decision will hurt hundreds of thousands of people in Montgomery County,” said county Commissioners Chairman Neil Makhija and Vice-Chairman Jamila Winder in a joint statement issued late Tuesday. Winder and Makhija are the board’s Democrat majority. Republican Tom DiBello was not named.
Officials expressed specific concerns toward the implications of frozen funding related to environmental, housing, public safety, and recreation programs in the region, according to the county statement. Of note, paused funding included $188 million “in CARBON funding to the Southeastern PA region, ceasing projects related to county’s parks and 100 miles of trails for our residents.”
Additionally, freezing $22 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development could impact initiatives related to emergency shelter operations, rental assistance and lead remediation efforts. The county’s public safety department also has $11 million in federal funding in limbo for the anti-terrorism task force.
“Local governments, whose budgets for the year have already been adopted, cannot plan for this sudden decrease in funding,” the two commissioners said. “In short, the Trump administration’s actions are not only jeopardizing the well-being of our residents but are being carried out in a way that maximizes disruption and chaos.”
The directive concerning federal grant and loan payments was slated to take effect at 5 p.m. on Tuesday as U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-4th Dist., urged Trump to change course on this action. Dean added she’d been in contact with Gov. Josh Shapiro’s office as top officials worked to comprehend the potential ramifications at the local level.
“I am alarmed and deeply concerned by the Trump Administration’s freeze on federal grants and loan payments — an administrative move to sow chaos, uncertainty, and fear,” Dean said in a statement. “While we do not know the full scope of this abrupt, unlawful halt in critical resources — we do know that seniors, families, children, and the most vulnerable Pennsylvanians will suffer.”
A federal judge temporarily “blocked the funding freeze only minutes before it was scheduled to take effect” on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the memorandum from the U.S. Office of Budget Management was also rescinded, the Associated Press reported.
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