Residents press commissioners on federal funding cuts, ICE enforcement and public‑health preparedness

Dozens of residents raised concerns during the March 3 public‑comment period at the Walla Walla County Board of Commissioners meeting, urging local officials to prepare for expected federal funding cuts, to clarify county cooperation with federal immigration enforcement and to shore up local public‑health planning.

Carrie Isaacson, chair of the Democratic Party of Walla Walla County, asked whether county leaders are coordinating with state and federal delegations to plan for anticipated revenue reductions and said she had not found disclosure on whether the county had submitted an Attorney General‑requested plan responding to the state’s “Keep Washington Working” guidance on local law‑enforcement treatment of immigration matters. Chair Kimball and Commissioner Clayton responded that sheriff’s office enforcement decisions are under the elected sheriff’s purview; later, Clayton — who said she is an immigration attorney — described the legal limits of local authority and recommended residents direct specific questions to the sheriff’s office for operational clarity.

Multiple speakers asked the board to prepare for cuts to federal programs that many residents rely on. Meg Midland, a scientist and graduate student at Walla Walla University, asked what the county would do if programs such as Medicaid or SNAP were reduced or eliminated. Robin Snow and other public‑comment speakers expressed concern about public‑health communications and continuity of care if federal funding declines or local clinics lose support.

Dennis Green raised concerns about a separate environmental and safety risk he associates with Hanford cleanup staffing; he urged the commissioners to use their channels to press for restoration of safety engineering staff at the federal site. Several other speakers, including Charles Rosson and Sue Parrish, asked the commissioners to speak up for federal workers and noncitizen workers who they said may face disproportionate harm from federal policy changes.

Commissioner Clayton acknowledged limits on county authority but said the board will forward the public’s concerns to the sheriff and to state and federal representatives and said commissioners will “carry these concerns forward” in advocacy. The board encouraged continued public engagement — the commissioners noted regular Monday meetings, posted agendas and email contact as ways to maintain dialogue.

Ending The commissioners did not adopt new county policy at Monday’s meeting. They committed to relaying constituent concerns to the sheriff’s office and to state and federal representatives and signaled readiness to consider improved avenues for public outreach and information sharing about county-level actions.