Those who receive federal grants or loans were sent scrambling last week after the Trump administration issued a memo attempting to temporarily pause all such funding on Monday night, Jan. 27.
The memo was quickly rescinded after public outcry, but by Friday, a federal judge issued an order protecting 22 Democratic states (including Washington) from a pause on federal funding after those states filed a lawsuit seeking to find the memo unconstitutional.
"The evidence shows that the alleged rescission of the [Office of Management and Budget] Directive was in name-only," the order from U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell Jr. of Rhode Island says. "The substantive effect of the directive carries on."
So, under the temporary restraining order, McConnell ruled the Trump administration "shall not pause, freeze, impede, block, cancel, or terminate" access to federal grant awards and funding, or issue another similar order.
However, those moves didn't quell concerns among those who know that everything from food assistance to health insurance could be taken away from millions of people as the administration attacks anything related to diversity, equity and inclusion, LGBTQ+ issues, environmentalism, and other topics falling under the president's idea of "woke."
Spokane nonprofit law firm The Way to Justice, led by and for people of color, was immediately concerned for its clients, many of whom receive help obtaining food assistance or affordable housing, in addition to legal aid.
"This is an all-out war on poor people, on Black and Brown communities, on all people," says Virla Spencer, The Way to Justice co-founder and CEO.
The nonprofit's staff is concerned that what's playing out under Republican leadership federally is in some ways being quietly echoed under the proposed budget in Washington state's Democrat-controlled government.
Specifically, they're concerned about the Community Reinvestment Plan, which state lawmakers created in 2022 to help communities disproportionately impacted by the War on Drugs, allocating $200 million of one-time funding.
Penny Thomas, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Commerce, which oversees the account, says all of the original funding has been allocated and is expected to be spent by June.
While Commerce requested $231 million to sustain that work, former Gov. Jay Inslee's proposed operating budget for 2025-27 includes only $85,000 for the Community Reinvestment Account, to cover bargained salary increases, according to the state Office of Financial Management, or OFM.
"Those costs will likely be moved to another account if there are no funds transferred into the Community Reinvestment Account," OFM spokesman Hayden Mackley writes by email.
Meanwhile, Gov. Bob Ferguson (who has not released a full budget proposal) included $100 million to hire more law enforcement officers on his list of budget priorities. Ferguson's spokeswoman did not provide comment for this story.
"What kind of damage are we causing to our communities through this new cycle of austerity, but then investment in law enforcement? What's the priority?," asks Camerina Zorrozua, co-founder of and legal director for The Way to Justice. "It just feels like they want to keep filling jails with people who are different, who don't fit in, the marginalized people."
The Way to Justice received the largest grant locally from the Community Reinvestment Plan in late 2023, obtaining $2.5 million to help people vacate simple drug possession convictions that the Washington Supreme Court found to be unconstitutional under the Blake decision.
"The Community Reinvestment Plan was to address the harm from the War on Drugs, right? Now, we have a new war," Zorrozua says of recent actions at the federal level. "We have a war on people who are undocumented. We have a war on people who are living in poverty, people who are unhoused, people who have unmet behavioral and mental health issues, and we're criminalizing all these folks. We're threatening them with deportation, incarceration, fines."
Only $8 million of the Community Reinvestment funding was directed toward legal assistance. The majority ($138 million) was directed to help minority communities with economic opportunities, providing small business loans and loan guarantees, helping people save and invest their money, and providing financial education and assistance.
"Thinking about the possibility of not renewing those funds ... what happens to the momentum that we have built and all the infrastructure that we have built to get to this moment?" Spencer asks. "When you talk about the $200 million for the Community Reinvestment [Account], why in the hell was it even created if this is what the outcome was going to be?"
Alethea Dumas, director of community engagement for The Way to Justice, says that Black and Brown communities need stronger support.
"We need co-conspirators. I feel like allyship is just not enough," Dumas says. "We need people to be willing to risk their privilege, use their privilege. ... What risks will they take to actually help?"
Spencer and Zorrozua agree.
"It takes more than just words. It takes action," Spencer says. "It means that if you don't want to stand with us on the front lines, then that means you support us with your finances."
Spencer lobbied lawmakers in Olympia two weeks ago and planned to be there again this week seeking funding. But she says the nonprofit will persist either way.
"We will continue to do the work. ... We are also going to rely on the community to support us," Spencer says. "We shall overcome. We have to stand together in solidarity to be able to fight. You know, it's nothing new. We've been having to fight all of our lives." ♦
