Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear raised concerns Tuesday about the legality and effects of President Donald Trump’s freeze on some federal payments, while a spokesman for Republican U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell said it’s not unusual for new administrations to review federal grants.
The extent of the temporary hold on payments was not immediately clear, but the U.S. Office of Management and Budget released information about programs that will be temporarily paused while federal funding is reviewed. The list includes Head Start, the Veterans’ Affairs Department’s suicide prevention and legal services grants and the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance, or LIHEAP, program.
In response, Beshear issued a statement: “I have concerns about both the legality of the President attempting to stop or freeze laws explicitly passed by Congress, as well as the damage this action will cause to farmers, small-business owners, and struggling families who are receiving important job training or health care services to improve the lives of their children.”
A spokesperson for McConnell told the Lantern: “New administrations typically take steps to review federal funding allocated to grant recipients. Senator McConnell will continue to advocate for the economic interests of Kentucky, and ensure that every tax dollar is spent responsibly.”
The Kentucky Democratic Party was highly critical of the move Tuesday. In a statement, Communications Director Jonathan Levin said that “Kentuckians deserve stability and compassion, not this Republican-driven chaos that will inflict pain on our families.”
“This sweeping freeze jeopardizes basic programs that Kentuckians depend on to survive,” Levin said. “Programs like LIHEAP, which keeps families warm during the winter, and SNAP, which helps them put food on their tables, as well as FEMA relief for our communities still recovering from tornadoes and flooding, are all at risk.
Madison Pergrem, a spokesperson for the Kentucky Department of Agriculture and Republican Agriculture Commissioner Jonathan Shell, said in an email that KDA was “currently reviewing the memorandum to assess its potential impact, if any,” on the department, as of Tuesday afternoon.
According to federal records, Kentucky received almost $23 billion in federal grants during the last fiscal year.
The Trump administration last week canceled scientific research meetings, raising concerns about funding through the National Institutes of Health for research and clinical trials.
In Kentucky, University of Louisville spokesperson John Karman said in an email that UofL had not been notified of a pause on its federal funding as of Tuesday morning. The university will continue to monitor the situation “to determine its potential impact” and provide more information at a later time when it knows more.
University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto said in a campus-wide message last week that UK was monitoring and reviewing Trump’s initial executive orders.
This story may be updated.
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Written by McKenna Horsley. Cross-posted from the Kentucky Lantern.
