On Monday evening, President Donald Trump ordered a temporary pause on federal funding while his administration conducts a comprehensive ideological review of programs. By Tuesday afternoon, a federal judge had blocked the sweeping funding freeze until Feb. 3.
The freeze may affect agencies across the country, including Missouri. Some local organizations are facing the news by preparing for life without federal funding, others are acting as normal while awaiting a final decision from the federal court.
Protections for refugees
A local Catholic Charities agency is preparing to replace its federal funding with community support.
The refugee program at Catholic Charities of Central and Northern Missouri is mostly funded by the federal government, executive director Litz Main said.
“We are going to call for everybody to help us provide some care to these refugees that, at the end of the day, are our neighbors,” she said. “We have been partnering with the government for decades to make sure that the refugees that we bring to the community are fully vetted.”
Without citing specific numbers, Main said the refugee program costs hundreds of thousands of dollars to operate each year and helped resettle more than 135 refugees in the last year.
“We have about 28 individuals that we just brought in in the last 30 days that are going to be fully impacted by these government decisions,” Main said. “Our top priority is to provide care for them.”
The group’s other programs, like its food pantry, don’t rely on federal funds. The agency doesn’t anticipate them being affected, Main said.
“We are sure that that is going to impact us at some level, but as an organization that is rooted in welcoming the stranger, we have to remember that Jesus was a stranger, he was also a refugee,” she said. “We have an obligation, a moral obligation, to make sure that we provide care for the refugees we already have here.”
Federal financial aid for higher education
With FAFSA deadlines approaching, some students are concerned about the future of financial aid under the freeze. The FAFSA priority deadline is Feb. 1, and the final Missouri deadline is April 1.
Posts across University of Missouri student and family Facebook pages sought clarification on how the freeze may affect student loans and financial aid.
Trump administration officials said programs that provide direct assistance to Americans would not be affected, including Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, student loans and food stamps, according to the Associated Press.
Health care research
While the pause shouldn’t impact financial assistance for individuals, it could halt health care research, education programs and other initiatives, according to the Associated Press. Many research initiatives rely heavily on grants from federal agencies, which could disrupt research initiatives, as well as hiring.
Christopher Ave, University of Missouri spokesperson, said researchers at the school are continuing their work until more information is known.
“Federal grant submission portals remain open, and our Office of Sponsored Programs Administration continues to submit grant and other sponsored project proposals to federal agencies,” Ave said.
He added that MU is assessing any impact the unfolding situation may have on the university.
“We are monitoring the situation closely as we continue to do the important work of educating our students, conducting world-class research, saving and enriching lives and engaging Missourians in every county in the state,” he said.
The National Institutes of Health has paused communication and withheld from issuing a statement.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story misspelled Litz Main's name.
