Catholic Charities urges Trump administration to ‘rethink’ freeze on NGO funding

CNA Staff, Jan 28, 2025 / 19:52 pm (CNA).

The president of Catholic Charities USA has urged the Trump administration to “rethink” its pause on federal funding for executive departments, noting the “millions of Americans who rely on this life-giving support.”

In a two-page memo on Monday the Office of Management and Budget directed all federal agencies “to the extent permissible under applicable law … temporarily pause all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all federal financial assistance” that could conflict with President Donald Trump’s policies as outlined in his recent executive orders.

The memo specified that funding for programs “including, but not limited to, financial assistance for foreign aid, nongovernmental organizations, DEI, woke gender ideology, and the green new deal” would be paused.

Though the memo put the pause into effect on Jan. 28 at 5 p.m., a federal judge in the District of Columbia temporarily blocked the order on Tuesday.

In response to news of the freeze on federal grants, Catholic Charities USA President and CEO Kerry Alys Robinson released a statement calling attention to the work the organization does for the needy.

“For more than a century, the Catholic Charities network has worked with the government to care for poor and vulnerable people in every community in the U.S., and we continue to be eager to work with government to care for our neighbors in need,” Robinson said. “We strongly urge the administration to rethink this decision.”

Robinson pointed to the effect that a federal freeze could have on those who rely on Catholic Charities.

“The millions of Americans who rely on this life-giving support will suffer due to the unprecedented effort to freeze federal aid supporting these programs,” Robinson said. “The people who will lose access to crucial care are our neighbors and family members. They live in every corner of the country and represent all races, religions, and political affiliations.”

Catholic Charities has operated in the U.S. for more than a century. It is currently made up of 168 diocesan Catholic Charities agencies serving millions of people each year. It works to provide affordable housing, food and nutrition, and disaster relief as well as supporting health, workforce development, and immigration services. More than half of the funding for Catholic Charities comes from government contracts.

“Last year, 92% of the services provided by the 168 independent Catholic Charities agencies around the country covered basic needs — access to food, housing, health care, and other necessities — for families and individuals struggling to get by,” Robinson said.

“These vital services include food pantries for those who can’t afford groceries, child care programs for low-income families, meal deliveries for homebound seniors, job training resources for veterans, temporary and permanent housing, mental health services, and much more.”

Trump administration officials said that programs providing individual assistance to Americans — such as Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, student loans, and food stamps — would not be affected.

What the exact effect will be on Catholic Charities and other charitable organizations is still unclear.

At a White House press conference on Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was  asked if the president intended “to permanently cut off funding to NGOs that are bringing illegal foreign nationals to the country, such as Catholic Charities.”

Leavitt responded: “I am actually quite certain that the president signed an executive order that did just that, and I can point you to that.”

Last year, the country’s bishops rejected claims that Catholic nonprofit organizations such as Catholic Charities are complicit in harboring migrants who illegally cross the Texas border.