Last night the federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a memo mandating that federal agencies pause disbursements of federal grants, loans, and financial assistance by 5 pm tonight. The announcement caused a wave of anxiety among organizations that rely on federal funding to provide services and is receiving notable media coverage and generating some local community inquiries.
At noon today, we received new information clarifying that funding for public school programs -- such as those for students who are low income, receive special education services, or are unhoused, as well as our food services -- will not be impacted. Then at 2:30 pm, we learned that a federal judge had blocked implementation of the funding freeze entirely until Monday. These are short-term assurances that are positive, but we will nevertheless monitor all developments relative to this situation and communicate any potential local impact widely.
In a time when federal actions are happening very quickly and reactions to the actions are happening equally swiftly, I want to assure you that we will continue to follow political and legal developments at the federal level diligently. We also will continue to connect with our county and state partners to understand what is happening and how it may impact public schools globally, and locally here in Alameda.
Our goal is to remain a thoughtful, credible, and calm source of information for our community during a time that admittedly feels chaotic and can be anxiety provoking.