Mel Rising Dawn Cordeiro
News Editor
In a surprising move, President Trump announced an executive order to freeze federal funding effective January 28th. This decision has left many wondering about the implications and potential impact on various sectors, as well as worrying about how this could affect them personally. As students, this executive order could have affected our financial aid. The Financial Aid Office sent out an email regarding this, saying that they initially were unsure how to proceed. This created panic on campus as well, with a junior at RIC Lily, stating that “it was very surreal to get an email like that. You see a lot of “dooming” on social media, but when it directly impacts your life, the realization of how bleak things look for myself, for my friends and my family, it is chilling. I know if financial aid were to be taken away, me and a lot of other people would not have the privilege of an education. It feels like we’re going backwards.”
The announcement of Trump's 2025 federal funding freeze sparked a heated debate across the country. Both Democrats and Republicans alike are questioning the reasoning behind such a drastic measure and how it will affect different aspects of society.
The ban, calling for “all directing agencies to temporarily pause all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance, and other relevant agency activities that may be implicated by the executive orders, including, but not limited to, financial assistance for foreign aid, nongovernmental organizations, DEI, woke gender ideology and the green new deal,” would have put a halt to all federal funding for certain programs and initiatives. The wording of this order created uncertainty on what programs would be affected. This was especially worrisome because there were multiple reports of people and organizations unable to access their systems. Some non-profit organizations even filed lawsuits.
One of the most significant concerns surrounding the freeze was its potential impact on the education sector. Many schools and universities rely on federal funding to support various programs and initiatives. Having the ban in place, these institutions may face challenges in providing quality education to students. Hospitals and healthcare providers also rely on federal funding to ensure access to quality healthcare services for all citizens. The ban could lead to a decrease in healthcare resources and potentially affect the overall well-being of the population.
Infrastructure projects across the country may also suffer as a result of the funding ban. Roads, bridges, and other critical infrastructure projects often receive federal funding to ensure their timely completion and maintenance. Without this funding, these projects may face delays or even cancellation. For Rhode Island, this could have meant a longer construction season for the Washington Bridge.
Individuals across the country could have felt the effects of Trump's funding freeze in various ways, including reduced access to healthcare services for both adults and children, a freeze on SNAP and WIC benefits, an end to unemployment benefits and an impact on programs for unhoused populations. This freeze may have had a profound impact on everyday Americans.
On January 28th, the Acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget Matthew Vaeth issued a memo clarifying what programs would not be affected. This includes mandatory programs such as Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, as well as SNAP.
Just minutes before the memorandum was scheduled to take effect, U.S. District Judge Loren L. AliKhan temporarily blocked the order. This means that the court can proceed with further litigation. The block, however, was due to expire on February 3, 2025 at 5 p.m.
On Wednesday, January 29th, the Office of Management and Budget rescinded their original memo regarding the freeze. It is unclear at this time if the Trump Administration will take any additional action regarding federal funding.