Atlanta mayor calls on Trump Administration to restore federal funding

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens speaks onstage during the 2024 Martin Luther King, Jr. Beloved Community Commemorative Service at Ebenezer Baptist Church on January 15, 2024. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens is urging the Trump administration to immediately restore federal funding for the city and the region following an announcement that federal grants and loans would be paused as of 5 p.m. Tuesday. The funding freeze is part of a broader ideological review of federal spending ordered by President Trump.

RELATED: Live updates: Federal funding freeze; 1st White House press briefing; buyouts

What we know:

While the White House emphasized that the freeze will not affect direct assistance to individuals, including Social Security, Medicare, food stamps, and student loans, the decision is expected to disrupt healthcare research, education programs, and other critical initiatives. Even previously awarded but unspent grants are included in the freeze, potentially halting trillions of dollars in funding nationwide. It is estimated that tens of billions of those dollars flow into Georgia.

What they're saying:

In a statement, Mayor Dickens expressed concern over the lack of warning about the funding freeze, highlighting its significant impact on Atlanta’s affordable housing programs, economic development projects, public safety investments, and partner organizations like Atlanta Housing and Partners for HOME. "More than 18,000 residents who rely on housing vouchers currently do not know how their rent will be paid next month, and workers across various federally funded programs risk losing their pay," Dickens said. He called on the administration to immediately restore funding to prevent further harm to Atlanta’s residents and the broader community.

FULL STATEMENT BELOW

"Like cities and municipalities across the nation, the City of Atlanta received no warning from the Trump Administration on the freezing of federal funds. These actions adversely affect not only the City’s funding for affordable housing, assistance for our unsheltered residents, economic development projects, salaries and investments in our infrastructure and public safety—they also affect partner agencies like Atlanta Housing, Partners for HOME and other organizations who currently cannot access the portals they use to pay people’s rents, operational costs or fund economic programs; in turn placing an even heavier burden on the communities we collectively serve. 

"More than 18,000 residents who rely on housing vouchers currently do not know how their rent will be paid next month, and workers across various federally funded programs risk losing their pay. The Dickens Administration calls on all White House decision makers to immediately restore this funding for Atlanta and the entire region—and the families from all stations of life who will suffer the consequences."

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