Harris County Choose Lina Hidalgo stated the county is liable to shedding $600 million in federal grant initiatives as President Donald Trump’s sweeping freeze on federal spending stays in authorized limbo.
“The administration’s choice to quickly halt the disbursement of federal grant funds is gonna have a direct affect or has a possible to have a direct affect on crucial providers that the county gives,” Hidalgo stated at a press convention on Thursday.
The county might as a substitute work with its native companions to expedite the spending of some federal grants which have already been awarded for initiatives like Photo voltaic for All, an initiative to increase photo voltaic entry to low-income households in Harris County. The transfer may doubtlessly compromise the standard and compliance of federally funded applications, Hidalgo stated.
The majority of the funding that may very well be affected by a federal freeze, Hidalgo stated, goes in the direction of infrastructure and catastrophe aid initiatives associated to flood resiliency.
Beneath Trump’s directive, the White Home final month introduced a plan to quickly freeze federal grants and loans. Legal professionals argued the White Home lacked the authority to provoke such a transfer. A U.S. District Choose on Tuesday issued a preliminary injunction to quickly block Trump’s administration from freezing the funds, the Related Press reported.
“Nevertheless, the grants that we rely on reimbursement for, we’re already seeing delays with so we’re undecided whether or not or not we’re gonna be reimbursed for these funds that we’re spending, and naturally, we’re relying on these reimbursements for our finances to be sustainable,” Hidalgo stated.
Hidalgo stated the freeze may threaten medical and well being providers and trigger delays in public security initiatives.
We’re not going to return funds voluntarily that we don’t consider should be returned,” Hidalgo stated. “We’re going to struggle all the things within the courts.”
Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis stated the county receives roughly $600 million in federal {dollars} yearly and spends about $15 million a month in working cash from these funds.
“That $15 million … if it’s not there may have a ripple impact all through our finances on quite a few different applications,” he stated.
In preparation for looming hits to the county’s finances, commissioners will transfer $30 million from the county’s normal fund into reserve, “till we work out what’s occurring,” Ellis stated.
“As soon as we recover from that $30 million, both we’re going to have an emergency assembly or we’re going to should do some emergency measures as a result of we’ll be on the finish of the highway,” he stated.
