‘David and Goliath’: Delaware officials fight to keep domestic federal funding flowing, attack freeze to foreign aid
Delaware’s attorney general is part of a coalition that has stopped a freeze of domestic federal spending. But foreign aid is still paused.
Listen 0:53
Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings speaks during an interview with The Associated Press, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
From Philly and the Pa. suburbs to South Jersey and Delaware, what would you like WHYY News to cover? Let us know!
This story was supported by a statehouse coverage grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Federal funding for states and nonprofits appear to be safe for now, but members of Delaware’s congressional delegation say some safety net programs are still being financially impacted. Lawmakers also say they are outraged by layoffs, shuttered programs and the freezing of foreign aid at the U.S. Agency for International Development. USAID is responsible for providing humanitarian assistance globally.
The state’s federal delegation joined Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings and Gov. Matt Meyer on Monday for a virtual press call on federal funding affecting the state.
‘Not standing down’
Delaware and dozens of other states asked a court last week to stop President Donald Trump’s administration from freezing federal spending going to states and nonprofits. It also prompted a lawsuit by nonprofit groups. There are stays in both cases for the time being.
The memo from the Office of Management and Budget more than a week ago temporarily paused most federal assistance to states while the Trump administration planned to conduct an across-the-board ideological review to uproot progressive initiatives.
Jennings said the coalition of 23 attorneys general will seek a preliminary and then permanent injunction from the Trump administration to prevent it from further trying to pause money appropriated by Congress from going out.
“We’re going to fight really hard. This is David and Goliath, but we are showing that we can win,” she said. “We’re not standing down and guess what? David won.”
Delaware and other states had already begun to feel the effects of the directive, even though the White House said certain programs and direct payments to individuals would not be affected and would not take effect until 5 p.m. on Jan. 28.
For example, state officials were unable to access the Medicaid payment portal for hours that Tuesday and a message from the agency that manages Head Start, a federally funded program that prepares children from birth to age 5 for school, said the payment portal was not working.
In a letter this week, Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester, along with several other Democratic senators, including New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and Sen. Andy Kim, said that Head Start programs were still suffering from lingering financial issues from being unable to access the payment portal for several hours and continuing uncertainty in being able to provide services to children and families across the United States.
“Head Start programs cannot pay their teachers and staff and continue normal operations without the assurances of payment processing and notices of grant renewals and awards,” the statement read. “This will impact children, families, and communities across the country, particularly the rural communities where these programs represent a large share of the child care options.”
On Monday, Meyer said the unprecedented federal spending decisions — and uncertainty that came with them — were having an impact on the state.
“It’s hard to predict anything about the world tomorrow or next week or next month, let alone what are revenues, what the economy is going to look like in the next year,” he said.
Lawmakers condemn steps against USAID
Delaware’s congressional delegation also condemned moves to shutter USAID, although U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he was the acting head of the agency and said some programs would continue. Tech billionaire Elon Musk, who Trump has designated as a special government employee, has called the agency “evil” and said “it needs to die.”
On Jan. 20, his first day in office, Trump implemented a 90-day freeze on foreign assistance. Four days later, Peter Marocco — a returning political appointee from Trump’s first term — drafted a tougher than expected interpretation of that order, a move that shut down thousands of programs around the world and forced furloughs and layoffs. Rubio has since moved to keep more kinds of strictly lifesaving emergency programs going during the freeze. But confusion over what programs are exempted from the Trump administration’s stop-work orders — and fear of losing U.S. aid permanently — is still freezing aid and development work globally.
President John F. Kennedy established USAID during the Cold War. It was later set up as an independent agency. Democrats argue presidents lack the constitutional authority to eliminate USAID.
In October 2021, USAID signed the first-ever Memorandum of Understanding with a historically Black college, Delaware State University. The four-year partnership supported USAID’s Feed the Future program, an effort to combat global hunger by assisting farmers in a dozen countries including Bangladesh, Guatemala, Honduras and seven African nations. The agency’s website is no longer online.
The MOU has created learning opportunities for DSU students, such as participation in research fellowships. It has involved DSU students and researchers helping develop solutions including “improvement of crops and livestock, food safety, reduction of post-harvest losses, research on fruits and vegetables, improved agronomic practices, extension, capacity-building, and access to clean water,” the MOU states.
“This historic partnership grows from our shared commitment to having a global impact on food security, water security, development, and human rights,” said DSU President Tony Allen at the time of the MOU signing. “As the nation’s most diverse, contemporary HBCU, we understand how to meld cutting-edge research with our expertise at working efficiently with diverse, low-resource communities.”
Blunt Rochester said Allen contacted her concerned about students, scholarships and the ability of researchers to continue their work. Her office did not answer questions from WHYY News about whether Allen was concerned about the impact to work or researchers covered under the MOU, directing questions to DSU. Questions to Coons’ office also received no response.
DSU did not respond to several questions about the possible impact to the historic partnership. It also did not agree to an interview with Allen or a researcher doing work through the MOU.
Press releases show the impact the MOU was having before the new administration took office. DSU is a partner of the Feed the Future Climate Resilient Cereals Innovational Lab at Kansas State University, aiming to advance the breeding of four major world crops — sorghum, millet, wheat and rice. It received a $22 million award in 2023 to support research related to improving those four focus crops. DSU Associate Professors Kalpalatha Melmaiee and Bertrand Hankoua were part of the $22 million grant. KSU did not respond to a request for comment about possible impacts to this project.
DSU graduate students have completed Thomas Wyatt Turner Fellowships at Cornell University. DSU students, including Josiah Jones, also participated in the Payne International Development Fellowship, named after New Jersey Congressman Donald Payne, the first Black person elected from the Garden State to Congress.
The Payne Fellowship Program awards up to 30 fellowships, valued at up to $52,000 annually for a two-year program. Fellows who successfully complete the Payne Program and USAID Foreign Service entry requirements will receive appointments as Foreign Service Officers with the U.S. Agency for International Development.
On the Payne fellowship website, Jones, who participated in 2023, said, “The Payne fellowship allowed me to meet the previous generations of foreign service workers who acted as the hands of America, stretching out to assist with innovative policy and masterful implementation. With backing and direction from USAID, the 2023 Payne fellows will strive to never falter in the face of adversity and prevent calamity and injustice across the world.“
The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Get daily updates from WHYY News!
WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today.