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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
CREATION OF A FEDERAL GRANT RISK MITIGATION FUND
WHEREAS, Cook County (the "County") relies on federal grant funding to support critical public programs, which include but are not limited to programs providing services related to public health and safety, community development, affordable housing, immigration, environmental protection, and equity initiatives; and
WHEREAS, on January 20, 2025, the Federal Government issued Executive Order 14160, directing the termination of diversity, equity and inclusion ("DEI") programs across federal agencies, requiring federal grant recipients to certify that they do not operate DEI initiatives that purportedly violate federal anti-discrimination laws; and
WHEREAS, Executive Order 14160 and other related orders, including Executive Orders 14147, 14148 and 14158, threaten to suspend, revoke or condition federal grant funding based on local compliance with new ideological and political mandates, particularly those targeting sanctuary policies, environmental justice related programs, equity-related programming, and local employment practices; and
WHEREAS, in addition to issuing various executive orders and actions which threaten the County's federal grant funding, on February 6, 2025, the United States Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the County (and the State of Illinois and City of Chicago) regarding its "sanctuary policies"; and
WHEREAS, the enforcement of such executive orders and actions and the filing of such lawsuit places the County at risk of losing or being denied access to essential federal grant funds based not on public need but on ideological grounds inconsistent with home-rule governance and community values; and
WHEREAS, the uncertainty surrounding federal grant funding awarded to the County creates financial risk to the County's budget and poses an immediate threat to the provision of critical services/programs to Cook County residents and Cook County personnel;...
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