Pima County officials say about $150 million of federal grants the county has obtained is now on the line while 20 county departments face potential cuts because of federal funding freezes.
Sarah Davis, senior advisor in the Pima County Administrator’s office, said changes at the federal level “are fast and furious.”
“Everything is happening minute by minute,” Davis said. She told Arizona Luminaria she is assessing “what projects and services are at risk.”
Pima County’s Board of Supervisors expressed their nerves about the federal government stripping local funding at the Feb. 18 meeting. They voted unanimously to get updates at all future meetings about changes to federal funding and directives.
Supervisor Steve Christy, a Republican representing District 4, said most of the funding cuts have been temporarily paused.
“Everything is pure speculation,” Christy said, saying that the alarm may be premature. “It’s a good opportunity to say the sky is falling,” he said, adding that he doesn’t see anything wrong with trying to pare back government waste.
Other supervisors pushed back, however, saying the county is already being impacted.
“Uncertainty is instability, and that causes suffering and struggle,” said Supervisor Jen Allen, a newly-elected Democrat representing District 3.
“This is not how you run a railroad”
Two days after the Trump administration returned to office, County Administrator Jan Lesher issued a memo announcing the county’s decision to close the migrant respite center, formerly known as Casa Alitas Welcome Center. New immigration regulations were effectively blocking all asylum seekers from being able to make claims and funding for the Sheltering Services Program, which partially funded the asylum seeker welcome center, had been ended.
Less than a week later, on Jan. 27, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget released a memo ordering federal agencies “to identify and review all Federal financial assistance programs,” broadly defined to include foreign aid, NGOs, diversity and inclusion programs and anything related to the “green new deal.”
The funding freeze was swiftly blocked, however. On Jan 31, the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island issued a temporary restraining order, in response to a suit filed by 22 states, including Arizona, and Washington D.C, pausing the federal funding suspension. But county officials worry funding could still be ultimately cut.
There have been five county memos in the past month addressing how rapid changes in federal funding will affect Pima County, including 60 executive orders issued since Trump took office and 75 lawsuits filed against many of those orders.
Davis said 93% of the county’s grants could be affected. While not all of those grants are directly from the federal government, some are from the state, which is impacted by federal cuts that could trickle down to grants.
Among the questions Davis is considering is whether the county will be able to receive funding that is already appropriated.
A Jan. 28 county memo counted a dozen federal grants, just from two federal laws — the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act — that are potentially on the chopping block, representing $70 million that was directed to the county.
The projects these funds are meant for include reducing greenhouse gas emissions, extending internet access to underserved rural communities and improving various road conditions.
Public health has been particularly affected, according to Davis, especially in terms of accessing health data. “Access to critical datasets,” such as information about HIV infection rates, has already been limited, Davis said.
Pima County’s health department is especially reliant on grants, from both state and the federal government, according to county officials and an analysis of the budget.
“This is not how you run a railroad,” said Supervisor Matt Heinz, a Democrat representing District 2, about the federal government.
Heinz, briefly making an X with his forearms, asked if it was possible to put a sort of “stay” on the federal government taking county funds. “Is there a way for us to somehow protect ourselves from an unauthorized repossessing of the funds already given to us?” he asked.
Lesher said “the simple answer is no.”
Meanwhile, according to Davis, the county is looking at potential downstream impacts of losing funding, including hiring freezes and program reductions.
“You’re not cutting fat, you’re cutting organs,” Heinz said.
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