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Trump’s federal freeze, reversal causes confusion across Butler County

People protest against a freeze on federal grants and loans following a push from President Donald Trump to pause federal funding near the White House in Washington, D.C. Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025. Associated Press

After the Office of Management and Budget issued a memo Monday, Jan. 27, calling for the freeze of federal funding and then rescinded it Wednesday, Jan. 29, organizations scrambled to keep up with fast-paced policy decisions.

The memo was initially released Monday, Jan. 27, ordering a pause on all federal grants and loans starting 5 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 28. The office retracted the memo Wednesday.

The vagueness of the memo left many confused on what exactly fell under the freeze order. Some speculated that federal assistance for college tuition and programs such as Meals on Wheels would be affected.

However, for Butler Meals on Wheels, it was clear a freeze would not affect any of their services. The organization released a statement on its Facebook page, clarifying it would not be affected.

According to Terri Tirk, program director for the chapter, there was no concern thanks to being fully funded on a local level.

“We are grateful for our donations and fundraisers,” Tirk said shortly before the freeze was rescinded. “We like to keep things on a local level. Butler helps Butler.”

Tirk said other chapters around the county, such as Connoquenessing, Freeport and South Butler, are also locally funded and would not be impacted by the freeze.

“We get our support from our locals, through donations both online and through cash and check, as well as supporting our fundraisers,” Tirk said.

Slippery Rock University enrolls 2,396 students who are eligible for the federal Pell Grant, according to a report on their website. To qualm fears early, SRU released a statement to all students via email Tuesday evening.

“To be clear, direct student loans, Pell Grants and other forms of Title IV financial assistance (including work-study) distributed directly to individuals are not affected at this time,” the statement read.

According to the statement, Chris Fiorentino, interim chancellor of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education, noted that further clarity on the situation may be forthcoming.

While further clarity may not seem necessary after Wednesday’s move to rescind the order, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt released a statement on her X account to clarify the White House’s position.

“This is NOT a rescission of the federal funding freeze. It is simply a rescission of the OMB memo. Why? To end any confusion created by the court’s injunction,” Leavitt wrote.

U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan issued an administrative stay on the order Tuesday evening that lasts until Monday, Feb. 3.

SRU’s statement advised students to reach out to the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships for questions or to confirm aid.

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