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The White House has announced a directive to freeze federal financial assistance programs, potentially affecting funding for non-governmental organizations such as Catholic Charities. This move is part of an effort to enforce immigration policies. The announcement prompted Catholic Charities USA to urge the Trump administration to reconsider the freeze, which was temporarily blocked by a judge.
The White House budget office has paused all federal grants and loans, impacting trillions in government spending and public programs that many Americans rely on. This could affect Catholic entities dependent on these grants. During her first press briefing as White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt stated, "this is not a blanket pause on federal assistance in grant programs from the Trump administration," and assured that "individual assistance" would not be impacted, citing examples like Social Security benefits and Medicare benefits.
Leavitt emphasized the administration's responsibility to manage taxpayer dollars wisely and combat "wokeness." However, there are uncertainties about how "assistance provided directly to individuals" will be defined. Illinois was among states cut off from the Medicaid portal used for managing spending.
Leavitt confirmed awareness of the Medicaid portal outage but assured that payments were still being processed. When asked about the impact on organizations like Meals on Wheels, she stated it would not affect individual assistance.
Regarding funding for NGOs like Catholic Charities, Leavitt mentioned President Trump's executive order intended to cut off funding for those bringing illegal foreign nationals into the country. Kerry Alys Robinson, president of Catholic Charities USA, defended their work: “Last year, 92 percent of the services provided by the 168 independent Catholic Charities agencies around the country covered basic needs — access to food, housing, health care and other necessities — for families and individuals struggling to get by.”
Robinson warned that millions relying on this support would suffer due to efforts to freeze federal aid. She urged reconsideration of this decision and encouraged supporters to contact congressional representatives.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) reiterated their commitment to serving refugees following Vice President JD Vance's questioning of their criticism towards new immigration policies. The USCCB highlighted its long-standing partnership with the government through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program since 1980.
Kate Scanlon reports for OSV News covering Washington-related matters.
