WORCESTER, Mass. - Uncertainty over the crucial financial lifeline for states, schools and organizations continues following President Donald Trump’s sweeping pause on federal grants and loans to reevaluate spending.
Spectrum News 1 is hearing the uncertainty over the pause on federal funds trickles down from Washington D.C. to municipal governments in Massachusetts.
The pause on federal grants and loans could impact things from school lunches to business loans, and many other beneficiaries.
The Chair of Northborough’s Selectboard said they’re still waiting for answers from the state and federal government, but Mitch Cohen added the Massachusetts Municipal Association is doing a great job keeping selectboards across the state informed.
Cohen said he’s been getting a lot of questions from residents about the "freeze" in funds, especially concerning the town’s recently approved federal dollars for the SAFER grant; which is for firefighter funding.
“We’ll be hiring, eight new full-time firefighters through the grant program, where the federal government thankfully pays for them," Cohen said. "For the first three years, including benefits. And we're in the process of interviewing and expect to make hiring decisions very, very soon. And, so that's a that's a big federal grant to it. Well, in excess of $2 million over the three years.”
As the dust settles in Washington over the executive order, Cohen said they’re expecting to get more information within the next couple of weeks, but at this point, they’re not making any changes based on rumors of what will be impacted.
And it’s a similar story out in Pittsfield. Mayor Peter Marchetti noted while federal funds help address needs in schools and community development, as President Trump has issued a number of memos, he said it’s best to take time and assess how they’ll directly impact things at the local level.
“Everything is flying at us fast, left and right," Marchetti said. "So, it's not even just about the federal funding, it's about all the other executive orders and how they impact the community. And I think that we just need to take our time and go through each one of the, you know, issues one by one. You know, will there be some changes in the federal funding models? I'm sure that we will see those. I just don't think how with a stroke of a pen, everything's going to go away.”
Marchetti said his perspective is they’re not in this alone and mentioned he’s been in touch with Senator Ed Markey.
Cohen agreed, saying the 351 cities and towns across the state are taking their time to gather the facts.