Mass layoffs and funding freezes spurred by the Trump administration have caused confusion and concern for federal agencies and organizations that depend on them. But so far, Portage County leaders say local programs and grants are still on track.
Federal funding benefits Portage County in a variety of ways, from child development programs to infrastructure projects.
Local government and community leaders are adopting a wait-and-see stance.
“So far, we have not been directly affected by federal government funding freezes, but we are keeping a close watch on the situation to stay prepared for any potential impacts,” county Commissioner Sabrina Christian-Bennett said. “Monitoring these developments ensures that we can proactively address any challenges that may arise.”
On Jan. 28, the White House Office of Management and Budget ordered executive department and agency heads to provide information about 2,600 programs, projects and activities that receive federal funding.
Included in the request were thousands of programs that touch every aspect of people’s lives, administered by dozens of federal departments, foundations, agencies and subcommittees. NASA. The Department of Education. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The Library of Congress. The Federal Communications Commission. The National Endowment for the Arts. The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. The Social Security Administration. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Small Business Administration and many more.
County Commissioner Mike Tinlin said county department directors have indicated that they see no changes and don’t anticipate any. Though he acknowledged that challenging situations may be coming, Tinlin said he doesn’t see a problem now.
“As the county is operating right now, I’m comfortable. We have no idea what the federal government’s going to do,” he said. “We’re sitting here going, ‘Now what?’ I am in the mix with people who know and report but I haven’t heard anything.”
County leaders don’t allocate or use funds unless they have them, he said.
“I’m not a panic-button pusher. I like facts, and I really haven’t had any facts that put me back to where I need to be, so I’m waiting,” he said.
Commissioner Jill Crawford did not respond to The Portager’s request for comment.
Federal dollars Kent receives primarily affect Community Development Block Grants, as well as transportation, water and sewer capital projects, Kent City Manager Dave Ruller said.
The city is tracking federal discussions closely and is staying in close contact with legislators, but has received no guidance or rules, he said. He acknowledged that Kent’s administration lacks sufficient information to determine local impacts.
“Between executive retractions and court blockings, it is unclear how this change in course by the federal government will ultimately play out on local projects,” he said.
Though it is not singled out as one of the OMB’s targeted accounts, national news reports highlighted Head Start programs across the country that had at least temporarily reportedly been locked out of their federal portals, unable to draw down money for supplies and paychecks.
Portage County’s Head Start Preschool, which provides free early childhood education to income-eligible children aged 3 to 5 who are not yet eligible for kindergarten, currently serves 208 children.
The county’s Early Head Start program provides free in-home early education for infants, toddlers and pregnant women. It also provides a center-based program in Kent and Ravenna. EHS’s clientele currently tallies at 64 children and pregnant women.
As to what, if anything, will happen regarding federal funding, Executive Director Sherry Pomeroy said Portage Learning Centers, which oversees the county’s Head Start programs, is adopting a wait-and-see stance.
Any funding cuts “would mean cuts in the services that we provide to the children and families of Portage County, potentially cutting the number of children that we could serve,” Pomeroy said, not ruling out complete program closures.
“This is the 60th year of Head Start. It would be a shame for those services to be cut,” she said.
And K-12 schools are not immune, either. At a time when the OMB is asking pointed questions about special education programs, school districts are balancing negotiated deadlines for informing teachers if they will be required for the 2025-2026 academic year against uncertainty if the funds to pay them will be there.
“At this time, nothing is set in stone,” said Ravenna schools Superintendent Ben Ribelin. “We are at a ‘wait and see’ stage until we get final numbers.”
David Shea, executive director of the Community Action Council of Portage County, oversees programs such as HEAP (Home Energy Assistance Program), home weatherization, emergency home repair, percentage of income payment plans and others related to CAC’s mission of helping people cope with and escape poverty.
All community leaders are now operating in a high-stress environment, not knowing “what’s coming next,” he said.
Shea is compiling a report to send to the Ohio Association of Community Action Agencies, the National Community Action Foundation, the National Community Action Partnership, the Health and Human Services Department and members of Congress, including Portage County’s Dave Joyce.
In it, he details the possible future Portage County residents may face: Community Action Council last year served about 10,167 families. With nowhere to turn, many families will simply and literally be left out in the cold, he said.
“Going forward, we hope that Congress and the administration understand the catastrophic impact that significant cuts or eliminations of many programs would have on our constituents in Portage County, the state of Ohio and the entire country,” he said.
U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce, who maintains an office in Ravenna’s county administration building, said there is “no doubt” about waste, fraud and abuse in the federal government. The Department of Government Efficiency is tasked with rooting out such things, he noted.
“That being said, I understand things are moving rapidly, which in some cases causes confusion and misinformation. My team and I are working diligently to learn how this transition is affecting constituents,” Joyce wrote in an email to The Portager.
In a form letter, Joyce stated that he recognizes that Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provide assistance to Americans across the country.
“As your elected representative and as a member of the House Appropriations Committee, I am committed to ensuring proper funding for programs that support my constituents while also working to put our country back on a path of fiscal stability,” he wrote.
An aide with Senator Jon Husted’s office told The Portager that her boss “supports efforts to end waste, fraud and abuse across the government.” No examples of such instances were provided.
“While the administration has not provided updates on this specific front, we expect that the president’s team will strive to quickly resolve any unintended consequences of DOGE,” the aide wrote in an email to The Portager.
The aide stated that Husted’s office stands ready to help Ohioans who need assistance working with federal agencies and is “committed to working with the executive branch to reduce costs in a way that lessens the burden on Ohio families and taxpayers.”
U.S. Senator Bernie Moreno did not reply to The Portager’s request for comment.
Wendy DiAlesandro is a former Record Publishing Co. reporter and contributing writer for The Portager.