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Committee hears briefing on Trump executive orders and potential local impacts
Summary
County legislative committee heard a briefing on recent federal executive orders, with presenters and county officials warning of possible effects on federal grants, state programs and county services and urging local monitoring and coordination.
The Prince George's County General Assembly Committee on Feb. 4 heard a briefing on recent executive orders issued by President Trump and how they could affect federal grant funding, county services and the local workforce.
The committee heard from Jimmy Tarlew (staff member) and Daryl Barnes of Barnes International, who reviewed a slate of early executive actions and flagged grants, federal staffing changes and policy shifts as items the county should monitor. "Trump's strategy is basically to flood the zone," Barnes said, adding that many of the orders were likely to be challenged in court.
Barnes told the panel that Maryland receives about $23,000,000,000 a year in federal grants and that pauses or cuts to federal funding could affect public safety, disaster relief and transportation projects locally. "A hold on federal grants . . . would definitely impact what we do here in the state of Maryland," he said. Barnes also noted concerns about a proposed resumption of at‑will firing of many federal employees and the potential for Maryland residents who work for the federal government to leave the state; he told the committee the county has "roughly 30,000" residents who work for the federal government.
Why it matters: County leaders and staff said federal actions that change grant flows or personnel rules could require the county to re-evaluate budgets and service delivery. Council member Harrison said large shares of county social services and public health programs rely on federal funds. "Eighty‑five percent of our health department . . . is funded through federal grants. Eighty‑seven percent is funded through social services, federal grants," Harrison said, urging caution ahead of March appropriations and potential state and federal negotiations.
County executive representative John Urzem provided a county estimate of federal grant dollars the county receives. "The number that the county receives annually, it's somewhere between $230 and $260,000,000 in federal grant dollars," Urzem said, and he directed colleagues to a forthcoming budget briefing for a fuller breakdown.
Committee members asked staff to coordinate with the county executive's office and the Office of Management and Budget to identify which local programs and positions are federally funded and how much of each program's budget depends on federal dollars. Tarlew and Barnes said they would continue to track developments at the state and federal levels and work with county staff to identify priorities for follow‑up.
Committee discussion also touched on specific executive orders and policy areas. Barnes flagged potential impacts on offshore wind leasing, higher education and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs receiving federal support. Council members asked staff to report back with line‑item or program‑level estimates so the council can prioritize potential county responses.
The briefing was informational; no committee votes or directives were recorded beyond requests for follow‑up information and coordination between staff and the county executive's office.
