Judge pauses Trump's grant requirements. Impact on Pierce County unclear
Pierce County and other local governments got a legal victory over the Trump administration this week, but the future of millions in grant funding for housing and homeless programs remain unclear.
Lawyers representing Pierce County and other local governments recently were granted a two-week pause on the grant conditions ordered by the Trump administration, but the future of some of Pierce County's grant-funded programs is cloudy.
On May 2, a coalition of eight local governments, including King County and Pierce County, filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington against the Trump administration's U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Department of Transportation Federal Transit Administration.
Officials from Pierce County's Human Services Department, which administers federal grant funding for housing and homeless programs, said it objected to the administration's guidelines related to immigration, 'gender ideology,' and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).
Pierce County Executive Ryan Mello described the administration's requirements that grant funding not be used to promote 'gender ideology' or DEI or support undocumented immigrants as 'coercive' and pushing an 'extreme political agenda.'
On May 7, lawyers representing the local governmentsasked a federal judge for a temporary restraining order to pause the new grant requirements.
During the hearing, U.S. District Judge Barbara J. Rothstein acknowledged that the terms tied to grant funding from the previous presidential administration directly conflicted with some of the new requirements recently ordered by the Trump administration.
For example, guidelines for grant contracts which were previously allocated money for this year under the Biden administration specifically required that program recipients address the needs of LGBTQ+ families. Just weeks beforese contracts were about to be signed, new guidelines were ordered by the Trump administration which include requirements to 'ensure grant funds do not promote gender ideology.'
'Do you think it is possible for plaintiff to meet both sets of conditions?' Rothstein asked attorneys representing the federal government.
'I think as posed that way, your honor, it would be difficult,' attorney Brian Kipnis answered.
Rothstein made the decision to grant the plaintiffs a two-week pause on the grant conditions, in part to allow certain governments such as King County and San Francisco a chance to meet the deadlines tied to the dispersal of the grant funding.
'If we don't sign the agreement within 40 days, the government can say, 'Sorry, that's the reason you don't get your grant money,'' argued attorney Paul Lawrence, representing the local governments.
'Defendants have put Plaintiffs in the position of having to choose between accepting conditions that they believe are unconstitutional, and risking the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in federal grant funding, including funding that they have already budgeted and are committed to spending,' Rothstein wrote in her decision.
Pierce County's homelessness response relies heavily on federal funding from HUD. Last year HUD announced Pierce County would receive more than $4.9 million to renew or continue 10 different housing and homeless programs through 2025.
Pierce County Human Services spokesperson Kari Moore told The News Tribune the grant award ensures housing and support services for 'hundreds of very vulnerable people.'
Moore said the next step is filing a preliminary injunction asking the court to enter another temporary pause on the conditions until the judge makes a final decision.
When asked if the legal proceedings would delay housing programs and homeless services, Moore said the county was still in the process of drafting service contracts and would await the final court decision.
'Our primary goal is to have no lapse in services for clients being served, but we're still working through the details,' Moore told The News Tribune.
As of May 8, Human Services has not received its funding award for programs from HUD.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Associated Press
33 minutes ago
- Associated Press
One year from World Cup opener, FIFA leaves questions unanswered on tickets and security
NEW YORK (AP) — A year from the largest World Cup ever, there has been no announcement on general ticket sales, prices for most seats, location of a draw or security arrangements as FIFA has mostly avoided disclosing details of an event set for 16 stadiums across the United States, Mexico and Canada. There is uncertainty about whether fans from some nations will be welcome — 11 of the venues are located in the U.S., where all matches will be played from the quarterfinals on. Security is a concern, too. At the last major soccer tournament in the U.S., the 2024 Copa America final at Miami Gardens, Florida, started 82 minutes late after spectators breached security gates. 'That was certainly a reminder and a wake-up call if anybody needed it that those types of things are going to be used in terms of the ultimate assessment of whether this World Cup is successful,' said former U.S. defender Alexi Lalas, now Fox's lead soccer analyst. U.S. President Donald Trump's travel ban on citizens from 12 nations exempted athletes, coaches, staff and relatives while not mentioning fans. Vice President JD Vance made what could be interpreted as a warning on May 6. 'Of course everybody is welcome to come and see this incredible event. I know we'll have visitors probably from close to 100 countries. We want them to come. We want them to celebrate. We want them to watch the game,' he said. 'But when the time is up they'll have to go home. Otherwise they'll have to talk to Secretary Noem,' he added, speaking alongside Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. Back in U.S. for first time in 32 years The 1994 World Cup sparked the launch of Major League Soccer with 12 teams in 1996, and $50 million in World Cup profits seeded the U.S. Soccer Foundation, tasked with developing the sport's growth. MLS now has 30 teams, plays in 22 soccer specific stadiums and has club academies to grow the sport and improve talent. Next year's tournament will include 104 games, up from 64 from 1998 through 2022, and the 11 U.S. stadiums are all NFL homes with lucrative luxury suites and club seating. It also will be the first World Cup run by FIFA without a local organizing committee. 'The legacy initiative of 2026 is around how we ensure that soccer is everywhere in this county,' U.S. Soccer Federation CEO JT Batson said. 'How do we ensure that every American can walk, ride their bike or take public transit to a safe place to play soccer? How do we make it to where every school in America has soccer accessible to their students? And how do we make it to wherever every American can truly see themselves in the game?' Interest in soccer has vastly increased in the U.S., with England's Premier League averaging 510,000 viewers per match window on NBC's networks last season and the European Champions League final drawing more than 2 million viewers in each of the past five years on CBS. However, CBS broadcast just 26 of 189 Champions League matches on TV in 2024-25 and streamed the rest. MLS drew about 12.2 million fans last year, second to 14.7 million in 2023-24 for the Premier League's 20 teams, but MLS has largely disappeared from broadcast TV since starting a 10-year contract with Apple TV+ in 2023. Apple spokesman Sam Citron said the company does not release viewer figures. In a fractured television landscape, different deals were negotiated by FIFA, UEFA, MLS, the NWSL, the USSF and the five major European leagues. 'You basically have over 2,800 game windows per season aired in the United States and so that requires distribution largely on streaming platforms like Paramount+ or ESPN+, but it's difficult for new fan adoption and it makes reach kind of challenging,' said Gerry Cardinale, managing partner of RedBird Capital Partners, which holds controlling interests in AC Milan and Toulouse and owns a non-controlling stake of Fenway Sports Group, parent of Liverpool. 'Kids today are getting weaned on Premier League football and Serie A football, and when you watch that as a product, it's hard for MLS to compete.' 1994 World Cup set attendance record The 1994 World Cup, a 24-nation tournament, drew a record 3.58 million fans for 52 matches. Ticket prices ranged from $25-$75 for most first round games and $180-$475 for the final at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. FIFA, which has about 800 people working at an office in Coral Gables, Florida, says it will announce information on general tickets in the third quarter. It wouldn't say whether prices will be fixed or variable. Hospitality packages are available on FIFA's website through On Location. For the eight matches at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, including the final on July 19, prices range from $25,800 to $73,200 per person. Variable ticket pricing possible FIFA appears to be using variable pricing for this year's Club World Cup, played at 12 U.S. stadiums from June 14 to July 13, and some prices repeatedly have been slashed. Marriott Bonvoy, a U.S. Soccer Federation partner, has been offering free tickets to some of its elite members. Asked about Club World Cup ticket sales and team base camp arrangements, Manolo Zubiria, the World Cup's chief tournament officer, hung up four minutes and five questions into a telephone interview with The Associated Press. Brendan O'Connell, the publicist who arranged the interview, wrote in an email to the AP: 'The guest was not prepared for those questions.' FIFA's media relations staff would not make FIFA president Gianni Infantino available to discuss the tournament. Ahead of the 1994 World Cup, FIFA announced in May 1992 the draw would take place at Las Vegas on Dec. 18 or 19, 1993. FIFA has not revealed plans for this year's draw but appears to be planning for Las Vegas on Dec. 5. Regular ticket sales began in February 1993 for the U.S. soccer family and general first- and second-round sales started that June. Fans submitted lottery applications in October 1993 for games from the quarterfinals on. Teams could train away from World Cup cities While not detailing ticketing plans for next year's tournament, FIFA is spreading it beyond the host cites and lists about 60 possible base camps for teams to use, paired with hotels. Some are fancy — The Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia — and some more Spartan — the Courtyard by Marriott Mesa at Wrigleyville West in Arizona. Thousands of arrangements must be coordinated. Major League Baseball is drawing up its schedule to ensure that the four teams whose ballparks share parking lots with World Cup stadiums — in Arlington, Texas; Kansas City, Missouri; Philadelphia; and Seattle — won't play home games on the dates of tournament matches. Boris Gartner, CEO of La Liga North America, a joint venture of the Spanish soccer league and Relevent Sports, said the 2026 World Cup should be viewed as just another step in the sport's long-term growth in the United States. 'If you have a clear understanding of the market and the audience, a clear understanding of the value that these properties bring to media companies, and you mix content with a commercial strategy, with the right media distribution strategy, this is something that will continue to grow over the next two decades,' he said. 'If more people are watching the NWSL, more people are going to be interested in soccer that could potentially end up watching a Bundesliga game or La Liga game.' ___ AP soccer:
Fox News
33 minutes ago
- Fox News
Trump acted quickly in LA, Terry Moran's anti-Trump slam, and more from Fox News Opinion
HANNITY – Fox News host traces the early successes of the Trump administration since President Donald Trump took back office. Continue watching… HUGH HEWITT – Trump acted quickly in LA and super majorities support him. Continue reading… START YOUR RIGS – Alaska is our 'Gateway to Energy Dominance'. Continue reading… SOCIAL MEDIA SLAM – The one surprising thing about ABC's Terry Moran and his anti-Trump slam. Continue reading… DEATH OF DEI – How Justice Clarence Thomas killed DEI. Continue reading… RAYMOND ARROYO – Fox News contributor breaks down the end of Greta Thunberg's sail to Gaza and Rep. Maxine Waters taunting the National Guard. Continue watching… BUILDING YOUR ADVENTURE – CIA veteran shares an inspiring story about courage with graduates. Continue reading… HITTING THE LINKS – Golf has a long history in the White House — but for Trump, it's more than a pastime. Continue reading… FAMILY BUDGET – What's the right time to get your kids off the family payroll? Continue reading… CARTOON OF THE DAY – Check out all of our political cartoons…
Fox News
34 minutes ago
- Fox News
Republicans challenge 'irrelevant' budget office as it critiques Trump's 'beautiful bill'
Both Republicans and Democrats have used analysis from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office as a political cudgel when it suits them, but with unfavorable reviews of President Donald Trump's "one big, beautiful bill" coming out, some in the GOP are questioning the relevancy of the agency. The CBO's latest analysis of the gargantuan tax cut and spending package found that the House Republican-authored super bill would add $2.4 trillion to the national deficit over the next decade and boot millions off of health insurance. Senate Republicans will now get their chance to tweak and change the legislation, and have vowed to do so, despite warnings from Trump to reshape the bill as little as possible. Congressional Republicans have largely scoffed at the agency's findings, arguing that the CBO doesn't include expected economic growth or other factors into its scoring of the bill. "I don't care what the CBO says," Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., told Fox News Digital. "They're irrelevant to me. They were biased before. They've been biased in other things, but all the numbers speak for themselves." The agency's latest score found that the House's reconciliation offering would cut $1.2 trillion over a decade, add $2.4 trillion to the deficit and decrease revenues by $3.6 trillion. It also found that if the GOP's proposals to slash Medicaid stay as is, nearly 11 million people would be booted from their health care. That number cranks up to about 16 million Americans removed from the benefit rolls when factoring in Affordable Care Act provisions that are set to expire. However, the White House declared the CBO scores inaccurate, and argued that the package achieved, through a combination of spending cuts, reversing regulations ushered in by the Biden administration and tariffs – which are not part of the bill – roughly $6.6 trillion in savings over the next decade. Many raised issues with the agency's accuracy, arguing that they got the score wrong for Trump's 2017 tax package. "I mean, I heard the numbers are always wrong," said Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas. "What's the purpose?" Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, agreed, and contended that it was "time to discuss the CBO being more damn accurate." Still, some Republicans believe the CBO serves a purpose. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said she didn't believe the agency should be done away with, adding "we need to have a source for scores." "We kind of go back and forth in terms of condemning CBO because we hate their score, or praising CBO because we like the outcome," she said. "And I think that's what we're seeing a lot of right now, is looking at that CBO score and saying, 'That's not real.'" Other lawmakers questioned what the alternative would be. Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., told Fox News Digital, "We need something," but acknowledged that he felt the agency was biased, and that both parties used scores "to our manipulation." Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., believes that the agency's score was wildly incorrect. Still, he is one of the main antagonists of the current bill because it does not go far enough to achieve deep spending cuts. The lawmaker told Fox News Digital that he believed the 50-year-old agency would soon be a relic of the past. "I think just AI is gonna replace them," he said. "I'm using AI all the time to do the sensitivity analysis. I don't need CBO to do these sensitivity analyses anymore, I can do it myself."
