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Siskiyou County warns federal funding freeze could cost social services about $352,083 a month
Summary
County social-services leaders told the board a federal hold on certain ACF funds could cut roughly $352,083 in federal revenue each month across programs including CalWORKs, child welfare and child care, and urged the board to plan contingencies and accept a DA presentation on fraud oversight.
Siskiyou County officials warned supervisors on Jan. 24 that a federal funding freeze affecting programs run through the Administration for Children and Families could force the county to cover hundreds of thousands of dollars in monthly costs.
"In total, we have 330 cases, 844 people with an average loss of $352,083 per month in federal dollars," Kirk Henderson (identified in the record also as Kirk Hendricks), the deputy director of administrative services, told the board as he reviewed program-by-program estimates.
County Health and Human Services’ Social Services director Trish Barbieri said the freeze — first announced by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Jan. 6 affecting childcare, CalWORKs (TANF) administration and the Social Services Block Grant — was temporarily paused by a federal judge’s Jan. 9 temporary restraining order. "The states argue that the HHS lacked both statutory and constitutional authority to halt funds that were already appropriated by Congress," Barbieri said of the litigation now before the court.
Why it matters: the county’s eligibility and temporary assistance units administer cash and benefits for thousands of residents. Henderson’s slide‑by‑slide analysis pegged monthly impacts roughly as: CalWORKs administration about $120,000; child welfare services about $32,000; Title 20 about $10,833; family stabilization roughly $18,750; a small housing‑voucher program about $9,500; stage‑one childcare about $11,000; and CalWORKs assistance about $150,000. Together these items produced the $352,083 monthly figure the county presented to the board.
Barbieri told the board the state and counties are exploring contingency plans, including possible use of state general‑fund loan authority if federal payments are interrupted, and that the county could cover short‑term gaps through 1991 realignment funds. She also said staff are coordinating with the district attorney’s office on welfare‑fraud investigative work and proposed a joint presentation to update the board on any fraud pursued in the county and statewide.
Board response and next steps: a supervisor asked that the funding freeze be formally agendized so the full board can engage on options and requested an assessment of any possible local fraud. Barbieri said the county contracts with the district attorney for welfare‑fraud investigations and that staff are planning a DA presentation to report both past cases and current status.
The county did not announce any immediate program reductions; officials said the figures are monthly estimates and that the legal process — including the temporary restraining order — remains active.
