SALT LAKE CITY — Gina Cornia sat down before an appropriations committee to ask for $50,000 to help Utah food pantries when she started to get text messages and news alerts.
"So we're sort of reeling this morning," Cornia said as she spoke to lawmakers, describing the memo put out by the White House freezing some federal funding. "People are already panicking."
Before it was temporarily blocked by a federal judge, the Trump administration's executive order sparked some panic on Utah's Capitol Hill, stunning even Republican legislative leaders.
"I don’t know that it’s preferable, but we have a federal government that has a deficit that’s unmanageable. They seem to spend, spend, spend. So maybe this is a shock, a wake up call that we all need to look at. We’ll see if it produces a positive outcome or negative," Senate President J. Stuart Adams, R-Layton, told reporters on Tuesday.
Max Roth explains below how much the State of Utah depends on federal funding:
Senate Minority Leader Luz Escamilla, D-Salt Lake City, said her constituents were worried.
"The public is afraid and is panicking. I’m hearing from people in my district, are they not going to be able to get some of the programs?" she said.
State agencies were trying to figure out the direct impact and what government programs and initiatives would be on hold as a result of the White House's directive. Nonprofits were scrambling.
"What about child care payments? Emergency food pantries and food banks get federal commodities," said Cornia. "There’s a lot of unknowns and people are already getting worried and panicking."
Nate Crippes with the Disability Law Center said people's treatments and access to food could be in trouble.
"I think we’re all concerned about what it means for our funding and funding that definitely benefits the people we represent," he told FOX 13 News.
Federal funding makes up nearly 60% of the Utah Department of Health & Human Services' budget. The agency's executive director, Tracy Gruber, told FOX 13 News they were still evaluating the impact to Utahns.
"We will make sure that we’re communicating with the people who do use services through the Department of Health & Human Services and make sure there’s clarity to them," she said as she walked into a meeting on Capitol Hill about the impact. "But at this point I'd say it’s too early to cause alarm to people that benefits are being shut off."
Governor Spencer Cox's office said it was in contact with the Trump administration about the federal freeze.
"We are in close communication with the White House and our multi-state associations and appreciate the clarity the White House provided this morning in the White House press briefing and the additional guidance released from OMB," the governor's office said, referencing the White House budget office.
"That guidance clarifies that federal benefits to individuals, including Medicaid, SNAP, and others, won’t be impacted. We’ll continue to learn more about what federal funding streams will be impacted."
But programs like rental assistance, support for small businesses and farms may be impacted. Energy and transportation programs may also be affected.
"I'm hearing things all the way from... you’ve got some funding for FrontRunner, we’ve got federal funds. Our budget is riddled, really tied into the federal budget. It can’t help but have some effect," Sen. Adams said.
The White House order came right as the Utah State Legislature began budget discussions. With leaner state revenues, state agencies have already been told to make cuts or rein in spending. It is not uncommon for Republican legislative leaders to order budget exercises for state agencies in anticipation of cuts.
But Trump's order appeared to have taken the Senate President by surprise.
"It is an interesting approach and we’re surely trying to react to it," he said.
Asked if he supported the President's manner of handling it, Sen. Adams replied: "I think I’ll wait and see the outcome."
