SOUTH SALT LAKE — On Monday, more than 20 states sued President Donald Trump's administration after federal funds for after-school and summer programs were put on pause.
While Utah was not one of the states that sued, we checked in to see if any local summer programs have been impacted since the freeze.
“The conversations we're having to have with families is that, unfortunately, there will be limited capacity, so we will not be able to serve at this point as many families as we have been in the past," said Edward Lopez, the deputy director at Promise South Salt Lake.
Promise South Salt Lake is a department that the city offers free family services through the surrounding schools and community centers. Lopez said the funding pause impacts funding for supplies, planning, and most importantly, staff.
WATCH: After-school, summer programs in limbo after Trump freezes billions in funding
Promise South Salt Lake serves more than 2,000 children and their families in their area alone, and for some parents, it's a crucial resource.
"For example, this summer we have already seen some of those impacts, and we have programs that have waitlists with as many as 40 families on them. It's really difficult," said Lopez. "When we are not able to serve as many families, it has a much bigger impact than people even know."
Utah childcare advocacy groups explained to FOX 13 that this was money that was already committed from the current fiscal year. They believe that the upcoming fiscal year budget will be a new fight.
Programs like Promise South Salt Lake and others that are federally funded are waiting for answers after the administration froze these educational funds.
