Multnomah County briefed on federal executive orders, budget risks; staff to map $250M in federal funds

Multnomah County officials and outside federal lobbyists briefed the Board of County Commissioners on the changing federal policy and budget landscape and the potential local impacts, and said county staff will assemble detailed funding inventories and follow up with state and federal partners on program-level risks.

Vicky Kram, partner at Thorn Run Partners, told the board the new administration’s early executive orders, pending lawsuits and a narrow congressional majority make outcomes uncertain and could disrupt grants and federal program implementation. “We are pleased to appear before you today to discuss what we know and also much of what we don't know about the new Trump administration and the 119th Congress,” Kram said. She warned that some Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and infrastructure-related funds have been held up and that litigation and court stays are shaping which orders take effect.

The briefing outlined three main risk channels: executive actions (including orders on sanctuary jurisdictions and programs with diversity, equity and inclusion components), the reconciliation process in Congress that could change tax incentives and benefits, and the annual appropriations process, where continuing resolutions and sequestration could impose across-the-board cuts. Pamela Lowell, who spoke on congressional budget processes, noted the…