Even though an executive order to freeze federal funding signed Monday night by President Donald Trump was withdrawn less than 48 hours after going into effect, confusion about what a freeze would mean locally prompted a response from local officials.

On Friday, Monroe County Board of Commissioners Chairman George Green shared in a press release he was not concerned about the freeze.

“There have been no communications from federal or state agencies that have said our federal funding is at risk of being paused or eliminated. All operations in Monroe County will be business as usual,”  Green said, adding Monroe County does not participate in programs which had been the target of the freeze.

“The executive order is limited to programs related to DEI, the green new deal, and funding nongovernmental organizations that undermine the national interest,” Green continued. “Monroe County does not support or promote any of these programs. Therefore, the pause in funding will have no effect on our finances.”

On Monday, Monroe County Clerk Jonathan McLean explained what prompted the press release, given the executive memo ordering the halting of federal funds had since been rescinded, and several federal judges blocked the potential freeze before it took effect.

McLean said a local official attending the East-West Gateway Council of Governments meeting last week began stating as fact his interpretation of what a federal funding freeze would mean for local governments.

Among other issues, the official implied the federal Medicaid program would no longer be able to make payments for senior health care services, which a Madison County official then publicly declared as a lie during the meeting. 

Coincidentally, the State of Illinois online Medicaid portal experienced a temporary outage last Tuesday only hours before the freeze was supposed to take effect, leading  to further speculation from officials across the state, even though the portal outage was unrelated to the executive order.

With the freeze on pause for now, questions still remain about potential impacts should the freeze become a reality.

Locally, McLean reiterated the main points of the press release, also adding that several county department directors reported no concern if a hypothetical stoppage of federal funds were to occur. 

Monroe County Health Department Director John Wagner and Monroe County Engineer Aaron Metzger – both directors of departments which receive federal and state funding – did not anticipate their departments being affected if a freeze were enacted, McLean said.

He added that Oak Hill, the county-owned senior living and rehabilitation center – would be similarly unaffected if a freeze similar to the one proposed last week were to be enacted.