January 30, 2025

By Lane Kimble

A second straight week of confusion and concerns over President Donald Trump’s executive order freezing federal grant spending appears to have finally settled down.

Wednesday, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) rescinded a memo that originally ordered the broadly written freeze through mid-February.

States rely on billions in federal grants to pay for transportation projects every year.  Federal funding accounts for about 25% of WisDOT’s budget.

Earlier in the week, Gov. Tony Evers issued a letter to the Trump administration urging the president to pull back the executive order.  Evers is in the process of crafting his version of the two-year state budget, set for release Feb. 18.

The American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) was in continual contact with the Trump administration after the president’s executive order Jan. 20 to stress the importance of not blocking transportation funding.

The “vast majority” of highway and transit programs will continue as normal, ARTBA reports, but money for new electric vehicle charging stations is still on hold.

Administration officials said the pause was necessary to review whether spending aligned with Trump’s executive orders on issues like climate change and diversity, equity and inclusion programs, the Associated Press reported.