Seattle City Council starts prepping for impact of Trump’s orders

Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck proposed creating a new committee to respond to federal instability. (Caroline Walker Evans for Cascade PBS)
The Seattle City Council is creating a new committee to respond to the volley of executive orders from President Donald Trump that have the potential to impact everything from federal grants to immigrant communities to LGBTQ+ rights.
Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck proposed creating the Select Committee on Federal Administration and Policy Changes on Jan. 31.
“Many organizations, programs and people within Seattle rely on federal funding to carry out their work and live healthy lives,” wrote Rinck in a press statement. “What is clear is that major changes are underway on the federal front, and local leaders must be tuned in.”
Rinck cited a lengthy list of local issues that could be impacted by the loss of federal money, including housing, public safety, transportation, emergency and disaster aid, climate change, public health, human and social services, immigration, nutrition, economic development, small businesses and education.
Council President Sara Nelson circulated a memo on Jan. 31 to create the committee.
“It’s my responsibility as an elected official and as Seattle City Council President to make sure every one of my constituents feels safe, particularly our most vulnerable communities who are being targeted by the onslaught of executive orders on a daily basis. We’re all seeing the chaos and uncertainty in Washington, D.C. but we’re focused on stability here,” Nelson wrote in a press statement.
Select committees like the one proposed by Rinck comprise all nine Council members and are meant to focus more sharply on an issue such as the city budget. They take up early versions of legislation to discuss and amend before bills head to a full City Council meeting for a final vote.
The Council expects to hold the first meeting of the Select Committee on Federal Administration and Policy Changes in early March.