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Committee informed of temporary federal grant pause and told Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank funds are reimbursement-based
Summary
At the March 4 Coastal Resilience Committee meeting, Allison Ring read National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) grant notices that mirrored an OMB directive briefly pausing federal grant payouts; Allison later clarified the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank funds are state reimbursement dollars and are not yet in the town’s account.
Claire Cummings opened public input at the March 4 meeting and read an email into the record from Allison Ring about recent federal grant guidance and local funding status.
The email included NFWF correspondence dated Jan. 28, 2025, and Jan. 29, 2025, relaying an Office of Management and Budget memorandum issued Jan. 27 that initially directed a temporary pause on agency grants, loans and other financial assistance and that was then rescinded the following day. The email text read into the record stated, in part, "Effective today, January 28, you are hereby notified that your award is temporarily paused," and noted the Jan. 29 follow-up rescinded that pause and that recipients should monitor communications for updates.
Town planner Allison Ring told the committee she had not received additional correspondence indicating the NFWF award was at risk and that the town will proceed with project work while monitoring federal guidance. Regarding the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank (RIB) funds cited as the project’s matching funds, Allison clarified those are not federal dollars and that RIB funds are reimbursement-based. "No, it's reimbursement, so we don't have the dollars in hand," she said, and confirmed RIB funding is state-sourced.
Why it matters: temporary federal pauses and uncertain timelines can affect cash flow and project schedules, particularly when grant awards and state reimbursement must be coordinated. Committee members discussed reaching out to state contacts and the White House office that assisted in securing the grant to ensure local officials are aware of the temporary federal guidance.
Next steps: Allison and committee members agreed to monitor further communications from grant administrators, to seek clarification from the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank on timing and reimbursement procedures, and to flag potential matching-fund issues for the hazard mitigation plan and any FEMA-eligible projects.
No formal vote or action was taken on grant funding during the meeting.
