Hampton leaders urge caution as federal funding freezes threaten grants and staff positions

Mayor Gray and Hampton’s city manager told the City Council the city is tracking federal executive actions and agency guidance that have put some federal grants at risk, and staff urged a conservative approach to spending while the legal and administrative situation is clarified.

The city manager, speaking after the mayor’s announcements, said the city has asked each federal grant-making agency to confirm whether it can process reimbursements and allow continued spending. He said some agencies — for example the Department of Defense’s Office of Defense Communities — have confirmed reimbursements for an ongoing joint training facility project with Langley Air Force Base and the Fort Monroe Authority, while the Department of Energy issued a broad pause on spending for localities. The manager said, “we want to be as conservative as possible, so that we don't put the taxpayers on the hook for money we might…