Federal funding cuts are hitting home for county, state

This is the first of a two-part series looking at how President Trump’s cuts are eliminating important programs in Snohomish County and the state.

Last year’s bomb cyclone toppled trees, knocked down power poles, and broke wires and transformers. Snohomish County reported more than $18 million in damages to public infrastructure.

But in April, the federal government denied Washington state’s request for federal disaster relief aid to repair damages to roads, power systems, and other public property. 

“This is another troubling example of the federal government withholding funding,” Gov. Bob Ferguson said, referencing President Donald Trump’s sweeping funding overhaul since taking office.

On May 21, the state’s congressional delegation sent a letter to President Donald Trump urging him to reconsider the decision to deny disaster aid, U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen announced. 

Snohomish County is feeling the cuts. The County was forced to scale back efforts to update its countywide hazard mitigation plan when the Trump administration shut down the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program, according to County spokesperson Kari Bray.

The County was supposed to receive a grant through this program to update and expand emergency plans to reduce risks from natural disasters. 

The county took another hit when Department of Justice abruptly terminated existing grants totaling about $120,000 for the County’s Court Appointed Special Advocate program, Bray said. Snohomish County’s CASA is part of a national program that trains volunteers to advocate for and provide support to children involved in abuse, neglect, and abandonment cases.

“We’re used to the federal government being pretty predictable most of the time,” said County Executive Policy Officer Kent Patton. “This sort of unpredictability is what makes us just go into planning mode a lot. As long as funding is still flowing, we’re going to keep working, but we’ll spend more of our time planning contingencies.” 

Patton said Trump’s approach is unprecedented: “No recent president has attempted to do so much in such a short time period — tried to make such significant changes to the federal government.”

Low-income program could be cut

U.S. Sen. Patty Murray of Washington state has been outspoken against Trump’s handling of federal spending. She accused his administration of blocking $430 million in funds Congress earmarked for various programs and departments.

The White House’s budget proposal, which it released in detail late last week, calls on Congress to cut $163 billion in nondefense spending. Trump’s plan slashes several federal aid programs that low-income Washingtonians use to afford necessities. It eliminates the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program that helps people pay for heating and other utilities. The Trump administration fired all of the federal workers responsible for administering this funding in April. 

The program helped 3,825 households in Snohomish County in the past year, according to Bray. She said the county is following state guidance and continuing to provide energy assistance as usual, but was informed that there may be a delay in the rest of the expected funding for this fiscal year.  

Housing assistance programs took a serious hit in the president’s budget plan. The proposal included cutting the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development budget by $32.9 billion, including a cut of around 40% in rental aid, effectively ending Section 8 and other housing voucher programs. 

The Housing Authority of Snohomish County administers federal funds for the Housing Choice Voucher program, or Section 8. These vouchers help 4,100 households afford rent, according to HASCO spokesperson Pamela Townsend.

“At present, HASCO is not in the financial position to replace federal dollars for voucher payments to landlords,” she said, noting that over 69% of the vouchers go to seniors and disabled people.

Congress gets the final say on the drastic reductions in HUD funding Trump proposed, but the federal housing agency already signaled the end of one program that provides housing to some of Snohomish County’s most vulnerable residents.

The Emergency Housing Voucher program was created in 2021 to house homeless and at-risk individuals and families, part of the federal pandemic response. The program was supposed to last through 2030. In March, HUD told housing authorities that funding had run out, and the program is expected to end next year.

“Approximately 60 households are at risk of becoming homeless again without the support of this program,” Townsend said. 

County suing Trump administration

Snohomish County is part of a coalition of eight local governments suing the Trump administration for stipulations that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development placed on homelessness assistance funds.

The lawsuit accuses the Trump administration of violating separation of powers, constitutional protections, and laws that govern administrative procedures. The administration’s stipulations mean Snohomish County would only get access to a $16.7 million grant – an essential component of its homelessness response – if it uses the money in adherence to Trump’s executive orders concerning DEI policies, immigration status, abortion, transgender inclusion and recognition, and other issues. 

This grant, the Continuum of Care, has funded housing and support services in the county for over 20 years, and currently supports 23 different programs within six nonprofits, County Executive Dave Somers said in his statement about the lawsuit. Services include transitional housing, permanent supportive housing for people with disabilities, and support for domestic violence survivors, among others.

“A loss of this magnitude would create devastating gaps in services. We would expect to see a rapid and significant increase in homelessness, potentially doubling the number of people who are living unhoused in Snohomish County,” Somers said. 

Somers said the stipulations placed on the funds “conflict with our values as a county government” and a lawsuit was the “only reasonable path forward” to maintain vital programs. “We are dedicated to upholding the law and to meeting the needs of Snohomish County residents. We cannot, legally or ethically, agree to these new contract stipulations,” he said.

A federal judge granted Snohomish County and its fellow plaintiffs a two-week pause on the stipulations earlier this month.

On May 21, the judge extended this temporary restraining order, said she would soon grant a preliminary injunction, and indicated she would rule in favor of Snohomish County and the other local governments, according to Courthouse News Service.