Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Federal Funding Freeze topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City manager details federal funding pause impact; council approves $5,000 for local summit and moves to closed session
Summary
City Manager Alan briefed the council on a short federal pause affecting some grant categories; council approved $5,000 for the 2025 Excel Summit and voted to hold a closed meeting under the Code of Virginia regarding litigation and property matters.
City Manager Alan told the Jan. 28 Newport News City Council that a White House action to pause certain federal programs could affect some city grants and projects, but that initial guidance from the Office of Management and Budget narrows the pause to programs identified in the president’s direction, such as DEI‑related activities, the Green New Deal and funding for nongovernmental organizations deemed to undercut the national interest. Alan said core federal safety‑net programs including Social Security, Medicaid and SNAP are not affected.
Alan provided a citywide order‑of‑magnitude for federally awarded funds currently in the city’s budget: $79,000,000 in awarded and appropriated federal revenue (excluding human services projects). He said about $60,000,000 of that is in streets and bridges projects, $8,000,000 is for waterworks projects, and $11,000,000 is for community development and home funding (CNI, CDBG, HOME). He also noted the school system has an estimated $14,000,000 reserved for school lunch program funding. Alan said the administration is awaiting further OMB guidance and that the pause was initially set until about Feb. 10, when it will be reassessed.
Why this matters: the pause could affect capital projects, nonprofit partners that rely on federal drawdowns and city planning for the capital improvement plan; the city is seeking clarity from federal guidance and preparing contingency outreach to partners.
Council members raised specific concerns: outreach to nonprofit partners that rely on federal drawdowns (including homeless services partners), the timing and mechanics of federal drawdown processes, and potential impacts on schools and ESL students amid immigration‑related mandates. The city manager said staff had been coordinating with the superintendent and school board and that further actions were expected within a week.
On other council business, members discussed recurring resident concerns about leaf collection timing and operational constraints (equipment, staffing and weather). Several members asked staff to continue work on the leaf collection schedule and communications.
Votes at a glance: The council approved a $5,000 contribution to the 2025 Excel Summit / Remind You Wellness event (March 7–9, 2025) and recorded a 6–0 roll call in favor. The transcript records the motion and a subsequent roll call showing affirmative votes by Councilman Coleman, Councilman Ealy, Councilman Harris, Mayor Jones, Councilman Long and Vice Mayor Bethany.
Later in the meeting the council voted to enter a closed session under Section 2.2‑3711(A) of the Code of Virginia, citing consultation with legal counsel on probable litigation, discussion of disposition of publicly held property in the southern section of the city, and discussion of acquisition of real property in the central section of the city. Councilman Long moved the closed‑session motion; the roll call for entering closed session was recorded as 6–0. After the closed session, the council certified by roll call that only the matters identified in the motion were discussed; that certification vote was also recorded 6–0.
