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Spokane County staff begin inventory after White House order pauses many federal grants
Summary
County staff reported Jan. 28 that a recent executive order had paused multiple federal grants affecting Spokane County operations; staff said they are compiling a list of roughly 65 potentially impacted grants and will work with congressional offices and associations to clarify scope and duration.
County finance staff told commissioners on Jan. 28 that a recent executive order had put multiple federal grant awards on hold pending further federal guidance, and that the pause could affect a range of programs the county currently funds or seeks reimbursement for.
"We have not been alerted as to how long the pause is," a county finance staff member identified in the meeting as Heather said after the board raised questions about the order. County staff reported receiving pause notices from the National Governors Association, Government Finance Officers Association and the Department of Justice and said initial work to catalog affected awards had begun.
Heather and other staff said the county had identified roughly 65 grants that might be affected by the pause; she and other officials named programs that could be at risk for reimbursement delays, including HUD pass-through funds and other recently awarded discretionary grants. County staff said they were preparing a list for Senator Cantwell’s office and planned to ask federal contacts and statewide associations for clarification and advocacy.
Why it matters: A pause on federal reimbursements could create near-term cash-flow challenges for county programs that spend funds expecting later federal reimbursement. County staff said some funds already in-hand (for example, previously received ARP and regional assistance monies) would not be affected; other programs that have been awarded but not yet drawn down could face uncertainty.
Officials’ response and next steps: Heather said staff would assemble and forward a list of impacted grants to the senator’s office for advocacy and would monitor guidance from national associations. Commissioners asked staff to gather a comprehensive grant inventory and to coordinate outreach with federal and state contacts. The county also noted that legal questions about the executive branch’s authority to pause congressionally appropriated spending would likely be raised by statewide associations and in national reporting.
Ending: County staff said they would provide updates as federal guidance and association analyses arrive and would brief commissioners again if the pause affected programs requiring local budget contingency planning.
