President Trump's planned funding freeze; impact in Waukesha County
MILWAUKEE - There's still confusion about the White House memo earlier this week that ordered a temporary freeze on federal funding; some say it still impacted them.
On Monday, the White House sent a memo laying out the federal funding freeze. Then, right before it went into effect on Tuesday, a judge froze the freeze.
On Wednesday morning, Jan. 29, the White House budget office said it rescinded its freeze. But in the afternoon, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Trump's underlying executive order was still in place. That order asks departments to end, to the maximum extent allowed by law, all DEI programs – that's diversity, equity and inclusion as well as what it terms, "environmental justice."
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The White House
What we know:
Federal funds touch so much of daily life. From the roads to universities and nursing homes.
On Tuesday, Jamie (who did not want to share her last name for privacy) was told her emergency housing help would run out. She was told the federal funding freeze was to blame.
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"My rent was $950. I’m a single parent, so my income only goes so far. So I was struggling to pay the back rent for the one month that I was out of work," Jamie said. "I don’t know what your agenda really is. But, whatever it is, it’s not taking care of the American people."
After a day of thinking she would have to move out, she said on Wednesday that the group helping her, Community Action Coalition, said they would be able to help her with the housing money again next week.
FOX6 reported on Tuesday that a Head Start program that serves children in Waukesha and Washington Counties was temporarily shut down due to questions about funding.
It still hasn't reopened and it will be closed again on Thursday.
The director of the program said the organization is still having trouble getting into the federal web portal to get paid.
What they're saying:
"We have a president who has an incredible business background, and he likes to move at the speed of business. The speed of government doesn't move that fast," said Waukesha County Executive Paul Farrow. "I think what the President is doing to say, we need to look at what the funds are. We've got trillions of dollars of going that are going out. Are they getting to the people that need that? That's an appropriate thing for a new legislature or a new president to come in and do."
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"The last seven days have been chaotic, difficult, confusing, but we're still in a wait and see period, because we don't have all the information that we need to understand how things are going to actually impact us," said Carmen Pitre, President and CEO of Sojourner Family Peace Center. "I did not think we were going to go away yesterday, but I understood that there was confusion and chaos that was coming our way. And I think what's important is to take a pause and analyze and say: What does this mean? And then, you know, communicate and be transparent."
The Source: The information in this post was produced by FOX6 News.