King County officials, providers warn federal funding cuts could disrupt local health, housing and human services

King County officials and community providers told the committee overseeing housing, health and human services on April 1 that recent federal actions — including pausing grants, imposing new conditions, and possible deep cuts in next year’s federal budget — are already disrupting local programs and could force service reductions, layoffs and program closures.

The warning came during a briefing led by Dwight Dively, director of the Office of Performance, Strategy and Budget, followed by presentations from community health center HealthPoint and housing provider Plymouth Housing. County leaders and providers described recent examples of funding pauses, grant cancellations and new conditions attached to renewals, and outlined how those actions ripple through local service networks.

The committee was told the problem has three parts: (1) federally appropriated grants and contracts are being paused or payments withheld; (2) routine renewals are increasingly being returned with new conditions that local law or county policy cannot accept; and (3) congressional budget moves and House budget resolutions point toward large domestic discretionary cuts that, if enacted, would reduce many programs counties rely on. King County’s analysts said those pressures are already producing immediate administrative and service risks.

"This literally changes every day," said Dwight Dively, director of the Office of Performance, Strategy and Budget. He told the committee the county received updated cut notices as late as 10 p.m. the night before the briefing. Dively said the county receives roughly $200 million in federal revenue…