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Dear friends,
I have difficult news to share. The Trump administration has recently issued a $450 million “rescission,” or funding pullback, for the Federal Neighborhood Access and Equity Grant Program. The move impacts the Albina Vision Trust, an ambitious, community-driven initiative to reconnect and rebuild a historically Black neighborhood torn apart by past wrongs. I support Albina Vision Trust as they explore their options amidst this potentially painful setback in our reimagining of the Rose Quarter.
The Rose Quarter isn’t alone—the federal administration is poised to disrupt years of promising development across Portland as part of a larger federal campaign against Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs.
Here’s what you need to know: nearly all federal grant funding, including critical funding Portland depends on, requires a certification of compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits race-based discrimination and preferences for any programs that receive federal financial assistance.
The City of Portland has $387 million in active Federal grants at risk. The vast majority of locally allocated federal funds go into the Portland Bureau of Transportation and the Portland Housing Bureau. If lost, the funds that keep our roads safe and our neighbors housed will be sharply felt. The consequences for accepting grants without compliance are severe, including the possibility of both civil and criminal penalties against anyone who signs for the funds.
This move is already impacting our budget. We have $31 million in already-awarded funds we cannot receive until we verify compliance. We’ll continue to fight for our values, and we are actively considering our options.
Portland must now wrestle with a difficult question. We’ve committed to rejoining neighborhoods, lifting communities, creating opportunity, and righting past wrongs. We must now reevaluate many of our leading initiatives and programs, or forgo the federal funding that makes many critical programs and services possible.
We are a better city for our diversity, equity, and inclusion. Weighing yesterday's wrongs against today's very real harms is a difficult task. Together, we must show that our commitment and resilience remain more powerful than any executive order forced upon us from afar, and that our values remain the foundation on which we will repair, restore, and revitalize Portland.
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