Funding freeze on Federal Grants and Loans addressed locally and nationally

Crockett and King Arnold express concerns about Trump’s actions

From Staff Reports

DALLAS – The recent presidential order implementing a 90-day freeze on federal grants and funding is a matter of serious concern for the City of Dallas and Congressional members. This action has the potential to impact hundreds of projects across the city, particularly in districts such as District 4, which continues to work toward overcoming under-resourcing and systemic marginalization.  

Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett slammed President Trump’s “illegal and unconstitutional action” to freeze new and ongoing funding for federal grants and loans and released a statement demanding Trump reverse this decision and preserve essential funding for programs like Head Start, Meals on Wheels, federal food assistance, housing assistance, and any other program that depends in whole or in part on federal funding. 

“With the flick of a pen, Donald Trump has unleashed a constitutional crisis that could cut off funding for hundreds of government programs that millions of Americans depend on—including funding for schools, hospitals, law enforcement, emergency responders, food assistance, and more. Let me be clear—this is an illegal, unconstitutional action that usurps Congress’ power and authority in order to move forward with Donald Trump’s promise to act as a Dictator on Day One of his second term. Make no mistake: this is the point of no return for our country. If Donald Trump is allowed to seize Congress’ constitutionally-granted spending power and unilaterally dictate which parts of our government get funded and which do not, there will be no checks and balances on his power and no co-equal branches of government.

Dallas city officials agree.

“Federal funding has been critical to the progress we’ve made in District 4 in recent years,” said  Councilwoman Carolyn King Arnold. “These resources are essential to advancing infrastructure,  educational programs, childcare services, internet and broadband access, environmental cleanups, senior services, and much more. Any disruption to these funds could hinder the positive changes our community  has fought so hard to achieve.” 

The City of Dallas also issued a statement, “Federal agencies are being tasked to review all financial assistance programs and their alignment with the priorities of the current administration, including those awarded to state and local governments.  

City of Dallas team members are collaborating cross-departmentally to review programs, and existing and planned City projects that are supported by federal grants that could potentially be immediately impacted and to what degree. More specific details on these programs will be provided in the coming days. 

This temporary pause does not affect Social Security or Medicare benefits, nor will it affect federal assistance provided directly to individuals.  

The City of Dallas remains committed to delivering critical services and advancing initiatives that benefit our community and will continue to provide updates as additional information becomes available. 

“In the coming days, we will be working closely with the City Manager and city staff to identify specific  projects that could be impacted by this executive order,” said King Arnold. “These discussions are essential to understanding  the full scope of the potential challenges and determining the best path forward to protect the progress we’ve made.  

She also emphasized the importance of collaboration and engagement. “As a community leader, I am committed to working with elected officials across all jurisdictions—federal, state,  and local—to resolve this matter and ensure that essential funding is preserved. The projects tied to these dollars are too critical to allow any hindrance in their implementation.”