(The Center Square) – Mayor Lisa Brown warned the Spokane City Council on Monday that the municipality could lose upwards of $48 million in federal funding due to President Donald Trump’s executive orders.
While Trump has paused some of those actions, Brown noted that unanswered questions remain. Regardless, she said the uncertainty impacts Spokane. From grants and international tariffs to immigration enforcement, Trump has Spokane by the purse.
“I’ve asked each cabinet member to analyze and add up the potential effects in terms of grant funding that’s coming to the city,” Brown said. “The total list of those funds from all the different cabinet members is at around $48 million [in] separate grants that are potentially impacted.”
Environmental Infrastructure Impacts
While judges blocked Trump’s federal spending freeze for now, Brown said his other executive orders could still impact funding through several federal agencies. She added that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service directed Spokane to halt a tree-planting partnership.
A $6 million grant accompanied the partnership with Spokane County and The Lands Council to improve tree canopies around town. She said the pause impacts more than the trees and extends to the jobs the program aims to create.
Brown said the city is also at risk of losing $8 million from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Community Change Grants Program. The EPA sent the funding to Spokane in July, which the city devoted to climate infrastructure in several community centers and libraries.
“Our Office of Emergency Management is working on that,” she said. “Again, there are sub-recipients on this grant, along with Gonzaga; … The second piece is effects on our partners that provide services to vulnerable individuals.”
Social & Economic Impacts
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which distributes housing grants among other programs, temporarily froze its portal, but Brown said it’s back online. The city receives funding from HUD to help mitigate homelessness and alleviate related challenges.
“At this point, the effects that we’re sure of are the cessation of grant funding to World Relief and the International Rescue Committee,” Brown said, which help resettle immigrants in Spokane.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Border Patrol don’t communicate with local law enforcement, so Brown said the city isn’t sure what their “activities” look like locally. However, the neighboring state of Idaho has a better picture.
On Jan. 31, the Coeur d’Alene/Post Falls Press reported that Kootenai County Jail, only a drive from Spokane, had booked 14 people on “border patrol hold.” Sources told the outlet that the number is expected to rise, and most were arrested outside of the county and state.
Brown said the city lacks firm data regarding federal “activities” locally, but she and Councilmember Lili Navarrete are setting up a “community listening session.” Her last point was tariffs, particularly against Canada, which she called the state’s “number one trading partner.”
Trump also paused those brief tariffs and others on Mexico after reaching deals with both. According to the city’s website, Spokane hosts three of the state’s Foreign Trade Zones, saving nearby businesses money regarding federal excise taxes.
“Should those move forward? We don’t have any specific numerical estimates of that right now, but generally, it’s not just the initial tariff,” Brown said. “It’s the retaliatory actions that the other countries take in response to the tariffs that create a period of uncertainty.”
As the Trump administration continues to push its agenda, the city of Spokane will undoubtedly feel its impact. While $48 million is at risk, some funds are already frozen, as others remain uncertain.