Washington
Trump’s attempted funding freeze stirs backlash from WA leaders • Washington State Standard

The Trump administration’s move to freeze huge swaths of federal spending drew backlash Tuesday from Democratic officials in Washington and the state’s congressional delegation.
State lawmakers said it further complicates this year’s already difficult budgeting process, while Gov. Bob Ferguson predicted that the courts would determine President Donald Trump is overstepping his executive powers. Washington U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, derided Trump’s action as “brazen and illegal.”
Later in the day, a federal judge in the District of Columbia agreed to temporarily block the freeze at least until Feb. 3. This came in response to a lawsuit by the National Council of Nonprofits, the American Public Health Association, and other groups.
Meanwhile, Washington Attorney General Nick Brown announced that the state joined 21 other states in a separate suit against the Trump administration over the attempted funding pause.
Much about the scope and consequences of the directive remained unclear Tuesday afternoon. But critics said it could stymie funding in a range of areas, from child care services to road construction to opioid addiction treatment programs.
“This chaos is already hurting people, causing confusion, and causing devastating delays. I mean where do we start here? There are a lot of urgent questions but precious few answers — and the answers keep changing,” Murray said earlier on Tuesday.
It’s commonly understood that Congress, not the president, holds “the power of the purse.” And Murray’s office emphasized that the Impoundment Control Act of 1974, “makes plain that presidents cannot temporarily or permanently withhold enacted funding, and it established procedures the president can and must follow to propose delaying or rescinding funding.”
The episode began when a memo from the White House Office of Management and Budget emerged Monday calling for a “temporary pause” on federal agency grants, loans and other financial assistance. The memo said it was not intended to apply to “assistance provided directly to individuals,” Social Security, or Medicare, which provides health care coverage for older Americans.
“This temporary pause will provide the Administration time to review agency programs and determine the best uses of the funding for those programs consistent with the law and the President’s priorities,” the memo said.
“The use of Federal resources to advance Marxist equity, transgenderism, and green new deal social engineering policies is a waste of taxpayer dollars,” the memo added.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the pause would not apply to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps, or welfare benefits. An additional memo from the White House said Medicaid payments would not be disrupted, though there were reports Tuesday that Medicaid portals were down in states across the country.
The Washington State Health Care Authority did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the status of the state’s Medicaid portal. Medicaid is the government health insurance program for people with low incomes.
‘We’re sorting it all out’
State Sen. June Robinson, D-Everett, who chairs the state Senate’s Ways and Means Committee, said the attempted funding pause added “another layer of uncertainty in the budgeting process, but one that we have virtually no control over.”
“It is very alarming, and we have to wait and see what happens,” she added. “If federal funding goes away, we do not have the ability to backfill those dollars.”
Robinson flagged public schools, higher education, housing and domestic violence services as some of the areas where the state depends on federal funding. Washington state lawmakers entered this year’s session facing a budget deficit estimated to be around $12 billion over four years.
Ferguson, in an emailed statement, acknowledged that “presidents have significant powers and elections have consequences.” But he added “President Trump’s refusal or inability to advance his priorities in a lawful and constitutional manner is creating needless and cruel chaos.”
A spokesperson for the governor’s office did not respond to questions about whether any state agencies experienced turmoil on Tuesday because of the Trump administration’s maneuver.
The state’s Department of Commerce and the Department of Social and Health Services both said it was too early to know how the action by the Trump administration might affect operations.
“We’re sorting it all out,” said Penny Thomas, a Department of Commerce spokesperson.
Joel Ryan, executive director of the association in Washington that advocates for the Head Start and Early Childhood Education and Assistance programs, said the Trump administration memo “led to complete chaos as several Head Start programs prepared to close their doors” and worried about making payroll.
The Office of Management and Budget later said Head Start programs, which provide early learning services and other supports to kids up to 5, were not covered by the pause, according to Ryan.
“Even after that clarification, the payment portal remained down for several hours making federal funding inaccessible,” he said. “We also continue to be concerned about other grant programs that impact young children like the child care food program which Head Start programs rely upon to serve healthy meals and snacks to low-income children.”

Washington
Washington Gymnastics Announces 2026 Schedule – University of Washington Athletics

The GymDawgs will kick off the 2026 season with the annual Purple & Gold Intrasquad in December at Alaska Airlines Arena, with more details to come. UW begins regular-season competition on Jan. 3, hosting a quad meet in Seattle with Cal, Oregon State and UCLA.
The following week, the GymDawgs travel to Tucson, Arizona, to take on the Arizona Wildcats on Jan. 9. Washington then heads east to College Park, Maryland, for its first Big Ten matchup of the season against the Terrapins on Jan. 17. The Huskies return home on Jan. 24 to host Rutgers before closing out January at UCLA on Jan. 30.
Washington opens its February slate of Big Ten meets on Feb. 7, hosting Illinois. The Dawgs then travel to Columbus, Ohio, for a Valentine’s Day matchup against Ohio State on Feb. 14. UW returns home on Feb. 21 to face Minnesota before wrapping up the month at the Big Four Championships in State College, Pennsylvania. Big Four action against Penn State, Nebraska and Michigan will be available on the Big Ten Network.
The GymDawgs take a short break from Big Ten action in March, beginning with a meet at Southern Utah on March 6 in Cedar City, Utah. Washington then hosts Sacramento State on March 13 before heading to Berkeley, California, on March 15 for the Cal Quad Meet, featuring Cal, UC Davis and Penn.
Washington will compete in its second Big Ten Championships March 20–21, with the location to be announced at a later date.
For more information on Washington gymnastics, follow @UWGymnastics on Instagram and X.
Washington
WSP chief calls for lower BAC limit in Washington

Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste has called for lowering Washington’s blood alcohol content (BAC) limit for drivers from 0.08 to 0.05 BAC.
Batiste said lowering the limit would save lives.
“I’m hired to save lives and to make sure troopers out there are helping to do that. And that is another tool, a law, that will help them do so,” Batiste said on TVW’s Inside Olympia.
From 2017 to 2021, more than half of fatal crashes in Washington involved drivers impaired by drugs and/or alcohol.
Impaired drivers are more likely to speed, less able to react and control their vehicles, and less likely to wear seat belts, according to the Washington Traffic Safety Commission.
According to House Bill 2196 estimates, if implemented, the 0.05 limit could save more than 1,700 lives every year, and cut alcohol-related fatalities by 11.1%.
“The goal isn’t to arrest more DUIs. That’s not the goal. The goal is to educate and make people make conscientious decisions and choose not to drive under the influence,” Batiste said.
Utah is only state to lower BAC limit to 0.05
Currently, Utah is the only state in the country that has adopted the 0.05 limit. In the 12 months following its implementation, the state saw fatal crashes drop nearly 20%, serious injury crashes
drop more than 10%, and total crashes drop more than 9.5%.
Batiste said it’s time Washington follows Utah’s lead.
“We’re one of the only industrialized nations in the world who really doesn’t operate at an .05 level. Utah, who was the first state to take that challenge on, and they’ve seen nothing but success,” Batiste said.
Follow James Lynch on X. Read more of his stories here. Submit news tips here.
Washington
OPINION: A shuttered government was not the lesson I hoped my Texas students would learn on a trip to Washington D.C

After decades serving in the Marine Corps and in education, I know firsthand that servant leadership and diplomacy can and should be taught. That’s why I hoped to bring 32 high school seniors from Texas to Washington, D.C., this fall for a week of engagement and learning with top U.S. government and international leaders.
Instead of open doors, we faced a government shutdown and had to cancel our trip.
The shutdown impacts government employees, members of the military and their families who are serving overseas and all Americans who depend on government being open to serve us — in businesses, schools and national parks, and through air travel and the postal service.
Our trip was not going to be a typical rushed tour of monuments, but a highly selective, long-anticipated capstone experience. Our plans included intensive interaction with government leaders at the Naval Academy and the Pentagon, discussions at the State Department and a leadership panel with senators and congressmembers. Our students hoped to explore potential careers and even practice their Spanish and Mandarin skills at the Mexican and Chinese embassies.
The students not only missed out on the opportunity to connect with these leaders and make important connections for college and career, they learned what happens when leadership and diplomacy fail — a harsh reminder that we need to teach these skills, and the principles that support them, in our schools.
A lot goes on in classrooms from kindergarten to high school. Keep up with our free weekly newsletter on K-12 education.
Senior members of the military know that the DIME framework — diplomatic, informational, military and economic — should guide and support strategic objectives, particularly on the international stage. My own time in the Corps taught me the essential role of honesty and trust in conversations, negotiations and diplomacy. In civic life, this approach preserves democracy, yet the government shutdown demonstrates what happens when the mission shifts from solving problems to scoring points.
Our elected leaders were tasked with a mission, and the continued shutdown shows a breakdown in key aspects of governance and public service. That’s the real teachable moment of this shutdown. Democracy works when leaders can disagree without disengaging; when they can argue, compromise and keep doors open. If our future leaders can’t practice those skills, shutdowns will become less an exception and more a way of governing.
With opposing points of view, communication is essential. Bridging language is invaluable. As the adage goes, talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. Speak in his own language, that goes to his heart. That is why, starting in kindergarten, we teach every student in our charter school network English, Spanish and Mandarin Chinese.
Some of our graduates will become teachers, lawyers, doctors and entrepreneurs. Others will pursue careers in public service or navigate our democracy on the international stage. All will enter a world more fractured than the one I stepped into as a Marine.
While our leaders struggle to find common ground, studies show that nationally, only 22 percent of eighth graders are proficient in civics, and fewer than 20 percent of American students study a foreign language. My students are exceptions, preparing to lead in three languages and through servant leadership, a philosophy that turns a position of power into a daily practice of responsibility and care for others.
COLUMN: Students want more civics education, but far too few schools teach it
While my students represent our ILTexas schools, they also know they are carrying something larger: the hopes of their families, communities and even their teenage peers across the country. Some hope to utilize their multilingual skills, motivated by a desire to help the international community. Others want to be a part of the next generation of diplomats and policy thinkers who are ready to face modern challenges head-on.
To help them, we build good habits into the school day. Silent hallways instill respect for others. Language instruction builds empathy and an international perspective. Community service requirements (60 hours per high school student) and projects, as well as dedicated leadership courses and optional participation in our Marine Corps JROTC program give students regular chances to practice purpose over privilege.
Educators should prepare young people for the challenges they will inherit, whether in Washington, in our communities or on the world stage. But schools can’t carry this responsibility alone. Students are watching all of us. It’s our duty to show them a better way.
We owe our young people more than simply a good education. We owe them a society in which they can see these civic lessons modeled by their elected leaders, and a path to put them into practice.
Eddie Conger is the founder and superintendent of International Leadership of Texas, a public charter school network serving more than 26,000 students across the state, and a retired U.S. Marine Corps major.
Contact the opinion editor at opinion@hechingerreport.org.
This story about the government shutdown and students was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for Hechinger’s weekly newsletter.
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