Federal Spending Freeze Threatens Ecosystems and Public Safety

Environmental advocates warned that the order could have immediate and dire consequences for Americans if it takes effect.

“From the White House, this is the reckless stroke of a pen,” said Manish Bapna, president of the Natural Resources Defense Council, in a statement. “On the ground, it’s a cold home in the dead of winter. It’s a child going hungry at school. It’s a family that can’t pay the rent. It’s higher utility costs for low-income households in every state.”

The list of programs includes dozens across the Department of Homeland Security, which includes the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Samantha Montano, an assistant professor of emergency management at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, said the pause on assistance could effectively halt that agency’s programs that help state and local governments prepare for and recover from disasters.

“I think it’s fair to say that pausing all federal grants would have a horrific effect on the US emergency management system,” she said. “It would make us less prepared for any disasters that happen in the future and would make it even more difficult for disaster survivors who are in the midst of trying to rebuild their lives to do so.”

These offices are not focused purely on weather-related disasters, Montano said.

“We’re also talking about port security grants, terrorism, cybersecurity,” she added. “This is full-on national security being put at risk when you take away these grants.”

Across the country, state agencies and nonprofit organizations have already been shut out of a federal system for accessing grant money, said Maria Lopez-Nuñez, a cofounder of Agency, an environmental justice advisory firm. She listed a wide array of programs that were potentially being affected, from a grant in North Carolina to help rural communities gain access to sewers and clean water to state government programs for laying water pipes.

For many smaller nonprofits, a delay in accessing federal grant funding could leave them unable to make payroll, she said, or complete their programs.

“They’re freezing key, necessary grant funding that many states need for vital services,” said Lopez-Nuñez, who was a member of the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council during the Biden administration.

In North Carolina, where communities are still recovering from Hurricane Helene, a spokesperson for the state Department of Environmental Quality, or DEQ, said the agency “is reviewing and evaluating” the memo and its potential impacts, adding, “Federal funds provide for a significant portion of DEQ’s operating budget as well as billions of dollars for North Carolina communities.”

The instructions to agencies listed more than 400 programs under the US Department of Agriculture, from emergency food assistance to support for farmers markets and water-saving initiatives. Also listed is one of the department’s biggest, most popular and effective initiatives, the Conservation Reserve Program.

Many legal experts said they were skeptical of the legality of suspending funds. While some have said presidents can temporarily withhold spending under some circumstances, others have said the actions directed by the memo clearly violate constitutional boundaries.

“The law is unequivocal: Congress controls federal spending, and no executive action can bypass this authority,” said Jillian Blanchard, director of climate change and environmental justice at Lawyers for Good Government, in a statement. “This order not only violates the Constitution but threatens critical programs and communities relying on this funding, which will impact hundreds of jobs across the country.”

The order comes as some science, environment and energy programs were already suspending their work. On Monday, NPR reported that the National Science Foundation had canceled its grant review panels scheduled for this week. Multiple news organizations have reported that the Department of Energy has suspended billions of dollars in loans, grants, and other spending.

Inside Climate News reporters Georgina Gustin and Lisa Sorg contributed to this article.