🚨 Critical Alert: Federal Funding Pause Threatens Economic Development and Job Stability🚨
Advocacy for small businesses, non-profits, and communities who will be affected by this significantly
This is not clickbait. This is reality. Right now, a temporary pause on federal financial assistance is putting thousands of communities, farms, organizations, and millions of jobs and individuals at risk.
Agencies such as ARC, DOL, DRA, EDA, NSF, SBA, and USDA, which stabilize our food supply chain, invest in innovation and economic growth, and support workforce development will be directly impacted. The consequences will be devastating if we don’t act–not just for the federal department or agencies–but for the organizations and individuals that utilize the funding within our economies.
I completely agree with being the best steward of public dollars. I’ve personally managed tens of millions in federal grant funding the past decade for economic and workforce development programs. I agree and believe there should be ongoing efforts to increase transparency and effectiveness of public dollars. I've personally been proactive in those efforts. But a sudden halt will be overwhelmingly more harmful than helpful.
It does not matter if you are Democrat or Republican, this is especially critical for organizations whose operations may depend on funding that is competitively sourced and has already been congressionally authorized and approved. The broad stroke will have adverse effects and unintended consequences. The abruptness and uncertainties for farmers across America will have massive ripple effects that will end up affecting all of us. Yes, even what may seem like a short 2-week pause will have significant ramifications for years to come. We can argue survival of the fittest, but there will be substantially more and much higher intensity in fatal outcomes that affect smaller organizations and communities compared to larger.
You should slow down your vehicle if you are driving 90 mph in a 75 mph speed zone, but driving into a building to stop immediately is (surprisingly!) not the most effective strategy for everyone riding with you.
Here is a link to a PDF of the Memorandum: https://shorturl.at/JJYVr
✍️ #1 Action: Advocate
Below is step-by-step instructions that includes a pre-written letter that you can copy/paste and submit through https://democracy.io.
📣 #2 Share to spread the word!
If you are familiar with CD-511 and SF-LLL, some may not be able to help with #1. You can however help spread awareness to ensure individuals, organizations, and communities that will be negatively impacted and rely on this funding.
Disclaimer: I am not currently affiliated or supported by any of these departments or agencies. Everything written here is of my own personal opinion.
INSTRUCTIONS
You can send communications to your representative now!
Visit https://democracy.io
Enter your personal resident’s address
Select your representative(s)
Copy and paste the pre-written letter below, IMPORTANT: update your organization or name in the first sentence.
For Topics select either: Agriculture and Food, Commerce, or Economics and Public Finance.
Click Send!
Here is the message you can copy and paste:
SUBJECT:
Urgent: Protect Federal Support for Economic Development and Job Creation
MESSAGE:
I am writing on behalf of [Your or Your Organization’s Name], a proud supporter of a recipient of competitively sourced federal funding awards and contracts.
The recent memorandum (M-25-13) issued by the Office of Management and Budget, halting the disbursement of federal financial assistance, has placed critical work at significant risk—especially in rural communities—and most importantly, from competitively sourced funding that has already been congressionally authorized and approved. This temporary pause threatens to disrupt essential services, stall job creation efforts, and cause economic instability in areas heavily reliant on federal support for growth.
Disruptive Impact:
Service Disruption: The funding pause jeopardizes essential programs and services being provided.
Economic Consequences: Delayed funding could cause significant financial hardship for both the providers of services and the businesses and individuals they serve.
Community Harm: Vulnerable populations, particularly in rural communities, depend significantly on the continuation of these critical services and initiatives.
Call to Action - We urge you to take immediate action to:
Advocate for the expedited review and reinstatement of funding for specific departments and agencies, including AmeriCorps (AC), Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), Delta Regional Authority (DRA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA, NIFA), the U.S. Department of Commerce (EDA, NTIA, SBA), Department of Labor (DOL), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and others whose programs directly support economic development and job creation.
Ensure exemptions are provided to organizations and initiatives that are vital to national and regional economic stability.
Demand transparency in the review process to prevent long-term harm to programs advancing bipartisan priorities such as innovation, entrepreneurship, and workforce readiness.
The communities relying on these federally supported programs cannot afford delays, especially when these initiatives are essential to stimulating local economies, empowering small businesses, and fostering technological advancement.
Thank you for your immediate attention to this urgent matter.