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Siskiyou County warns of potential federal funding freeze under 'Defend the Spend'; staff outline welfare-fraud work
Summary
County Social Services told the Board a federal inquiry called the "Defend the Spend" initiative could temporarily freeze about $350,000 in county-administered federal benefits; staff also summarized EBT and other welfare-fraud investigations and recent prosecutions.
Siskiyou County Social Services Director Trish Barbieri told the Board on Feb. 17 that the Federal Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) "Defend the Spend" initiative has asked five states for documents and could lead to frozen federal funds that would affect county programs. Barbieri said the county’s exposure could be about $350,000 and that the statewide impact cited in staff materials was roughly $5 billion.
The presentation, continued by Deputy Director of Administrative Services Kirk Hendricks, estimated the county-level impact at about 330 cases involving roughly 844 clients and summarized recent procedural developments: a Temporary Restraining Order and…
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