OKLAHOMA CITY – In his role as Oklahoma House Tribal and External Affairs Leader Rep. Scott Fetgatter, R-Okmulgee, is working with the state's federal delegation and state agencies to assess the impact of a federal funds freeze under the new presidential administration.

The White House announced it is pausing federal grants and loans starting today as it begins an across-the-board review of spending. The pause was not to affect benefit programs including Social Security benefits, Medicare, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and others that provide direct benefits to individuals.

"I'm working with state agencies and Oklahoma members of Congress to make sure the needs of Oklahomans are met," Fetgatter said. "I appreciate President Trump wanting to do due diligence to ensure federal funds are being spent appropriately, but I also want to make sure those who rely on Social Security benefits, Medicare or other forms of aid are not left without care."

House Speaker Kyle Hilbert praised Rep. Fetgatter for his efforts to collect information from the federal delegation and state agencies to know what issues exist and serve as the point person for the House Republican caucus.

"Our nation’s federal debt is out of control, so we are thankful to have President Trump back in the White House to scrutinize all federal spending and fulfill his campaign promise to get our national economy back on track. We have been in touch with our federal delegation and have been assured that Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, SNAP and funds for small businesses, farmers, Pell grants, Head Start, rental assistance and other similar programs will not be impacted by this temporary pause. Rep. Fetgatter will continue to work with our federal delegation to better understand the timeline and impact of this temporary pause to ensure critical services to Oklahomans continue as uninterrupted as possible."

According to a memo from the Office of the President, Office Management and Budget (OMB), the guidance establishes a process for agencies to work with OMB to determine quickly whether any program is inconsistent with the President’s executive orders. A pause could be as short as day. In fact, OMB said it has worked with agencies and has already approved many programs to continue even before the pause went into effect.

Fetgatter said he is awaiting additional information from the Office of Management and Enterprise Services, which currently is surveying state agencies to assess the impact of the funding pause. He's also reached out to Oklahoma congressional members for a timeline of the review. 

House fiscal staff already had been in contact with several state agencies to assess the impact of a pause in funds under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act passed under the Biden Administration. Fetgatter said the result was mixed based on what funds the agency was receiving and the purpose for the funding. The impact of the new order is expected to be much the same. As indicated by the OMB memo, some funding and programs will be reviewed and cleared quickly while other impacts may differ. He said he'll keep his fellow legislators and the public updated with any information he receives.