County committee hears federal budget and DHS shutdown briefing; staff warn of deep program cuts
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Summary
John Assini of CJ Lake briefed the Alameda County PAL Committee April 6 on the prolonged DHS partial shutdown and the Trump FY27 budget proposal, which would cut or eliminate several domestic programs the county relies on; supervisors asked about TSA back pay and future funding.
John Assini of CJ Lake told the Alameda County Board of Supervisors Personnel Administration and Legislation Committee on April 6 that congressional activity will resume the week of April 13 and that personnel changes and agency disruptions in the federal executive branch remain a key uncertainty.
Assini described the Department of Homeland Security partial shutdown as “now the longest agency shutdown in US history,” and said the administration had issued an executive order to cover back pay for some DHS employees while Congress remains in a stalemate over broader funding. He summarized the FY27 presidential budget request as sharply increasing defense spending while proposing substantial cuts or eliminations to domestic programs the county uses.
"The budget does call for the elimination of LIHEAP, the CSBG program, the CDBG program," Assini said, listing federal programs that support low‑income energy assistance, community services, and community development block grants. He said the budget proposal also requests large increases for Pentagon funding and potential supplemental aid for the war in Iran, and that some congressional leaders were exploring procedural strategies to advance parts of the spending plan.
Committee members pressed for clarity on near‑term effects. Chair (speaking as the committee chair) asked whether TSA funding beyond back pay required further congressional action; Assini replied that the executive order covers back pay but Congress must pass a DHS funding bill for prospective pay, otherwise the administration would have to issue additional executive orders to cover continuing costs.
County supervisors expressed concern about the budget priorities Assini described, with one supervisor saying the proposed shift away from safety‑net programs toward defense spending “is still, something were not comfortable reconciling as its not aligned with the values of our county.” There were no public comments on the federal update.
The committee did not take formal action on the federal update; Assini offered to answer follow‑up questions and the committee moved on to other agenda items.
