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Boston's Morning Newsletter
Explaining the pause on the federal funding freeze
Editor's Note: This is an excerpt from WBUR's daily morning newsletter, WBUR Today. If you like what you read and want it in your inbox, sign up here.
What’s this about a pause on the gov’t funding freeze? Following a frenzied all-day scramble across the nation, a federal judge hit the brakes yesterday on a plan by the Trump administration to halt the distribution of all federal grants and loans.
With actual trillions of dollars at stake, nearly half of the country’s attorneys general — including Massachusetts AG Andrea Campbell — sued the federal government, arguing the memo issued by the White House Office of Management and Budget is unconstitutional.
And they weren’t the only ones. U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan issued the administrative stay in response to a different suit by the National Council for Nonprofits. The ruling now allows already promised federal dollars to flow until at least Monday, when the D.C. judge plans to hand down a permanent decision.
AliKhan, a former President Joe Biden appointee, said it seemed to her that “the federal government currently doesn’t actually know the full extent of the programs that are going to be subject to the pause.” Let’s dig deeper:
What does it all mean now? Lots of groups — from health care agencies to educational institutions to research nonprofits and more — got a taste of what a sudden loss of federal money might look like. The directive specifically called for reviews of “financial assistance for foreign aid, nongovernmental organizations, DEI, woke gender ideology, and the green new deal” — all areas that don’t align with so-called “presidential priorities.” And now some states, including Massachusetts, are trying to get a full account of what programs might lose support.
- The Massachusetts comptroller’s office: They asked finance officers in various state departments to identify any programs that may be affected by noon Friday.
- Bristol County Jail: Ahead of the stay order, the sheriff’s office told WBUR’s Deborah Becker that out of an approximately $60 million budget, the jail receives nearly $2 million per year in federal assistance. The office said a freeze would impact 18 employees, and vital programs related to mental health, substance abuse training, reentry services and more.
- Medicaid: Ahead of the judge’s order, there were many questions about whether some programs were already being affected by the proposed freeze. Several states, including Massachusetts, reported trouble accessing Medicaid funding this week. Yesterday, the Trump administration had not cleared up whether it was related to the freeze, but said Medicaid payouts were pending and its website portal would be back online shortly. (Trump officials had earlier told The Associated Press that federal assistance to individuals — including Social Security, Medicare, food stamps, student loans and scholarships — would not be affected.)
- Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers: Health centers in the state get about $130 million in federal funding a year, according to Michael Curry, president and CEO of MLCHC. “Whenever there’s a cut in federal funding, it puts health centers in a very difficult position of having to look at cutting staff or cutting services,” Curry said. He added he’s not sure whether the organization’s focus on equity will align with the new administration’s goals.
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No texting in class: Members of the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education met yesterday to discuss two bills seeking to restrict cellphone use in K-12 schools statewide (they were proposed to the state Senate and House earlier this month). Both are backed by Campbell, who said the legislation aims to help students focus and limit the impacts of social media on mental health. But as WBUR’s Emily Piper-Vallillo reports, there’s been some pushback from state education leaders.
- While some in yesterday’s meeting cited successful phone bans in local schools, like Salem, Dálida Rocha, a board member, noted students may need phone access during the day — particularly now, with fears of deportation looming. “Especially in this moment where immigrant children are feeling unsafe and if they want to keep their phone with them,” said Rocha, “then that disciplinary action can also lead them to this sort of school-to-deportation pipeline.”
- What do you think? Share your thoughts on the proposed cellphones ban in Massachusetts schools here.
A 24-year-old Massachusetts man was arrested at the U.S. Capitol Monday after threatening to kill newly confirmed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and other members of Trump’s cabinet. Ryan Michael English, of South Deerfield, turned himself in to Capitol police before attempting the attack, according to an officer’s affidavit. Investigators said English had knives and explosive materials in his possession.
P.S. — Lunar New Year celebrations kick off today worldwide. If you’re wondering where to go to ring in the Year of the Snake, our list of five things to do this weekend includes a crafty lantern-making workshop.
