Power also comes from the bottom up

Don't forget that you have it.

Today felt like waiting for a nuclear bomb to go off in public service. The new administration released a memo to freeze $3 trillion in federal grants, pausing activities to ensure alignment with Presidential priorities. The order went into effect at 5 p.m. ET, but a D.C. judge blocked it thereafter.

While the White House tried to clarify that this freeze won’t impact all grants—excluding some individual programs like student loans—its ambiguity, murky terms, and far-reaching implications created a cruel void of uncertainty and chaos among academic institutions, nonprofit organizations, public health departments, and small businesses. What counts and what doesn’t? What will be available when a domestic violence survivor shows up tonight? Many answers to these questions are still in limbo.

This follows days of unsettling developments: CDC’s halting communication with the WHO, the freezing of all foreign aid, the reclassification of federal workers so they are easier to fire, uncertainty with NIH grants, the firing of entire DEI teams, offering 2 million federal workers buyouts, and more.

We’re left with more questions than answers about what’s been impacted, what’s next, and what this means for public health and our communities. But one thing is known: We aren’t powerless.

What we know and what we don’t know

Federal grants are the backbone of America’s public service system.

Federal grants aren’t just funding lab scientists in white coats (although they are critical, too); they underpin the services millions of Americans rely on daily. Suicide hotlines, domestic violence shelters, opioid treatment centers, meals for seniors, cancer survivor support programs. Medicaid payment systems were turned off today—41% of all births in the U.S. are covered by Medicaid. If organizations don’t have a cash reserve and can’t find funding elsewhere in the interim, they will (or already have) closed their doors. The lives of people hang in the balance. Innovation hangs in the balance. Our economy hangs in the balance.

Counterbalances are at play. Many legal motions are being filed. For example, the National Council of Nonprofits, the American Public Health Association, and small businesses filed a motion for a temporary restraining order to block the funding pause. A D.C. judge ruled tonight to block the order. Academic institutions, Congress, professional organizations, and advocacy groups were mobilized and organized. This is all working mostly behind the scenes.

Many people support this change. To them, the system feels broken—elitist, inefficient, and unresponsive. Trust in institutions has eroded over decades. And from their perspective, the only way to fix it is to break it.

The uncertainty is vast, and much remains unanswered:

1. How long will the chaos last? Is this a 4-year thing or a 100-day thing? Some programs, like Medicaid processing, will get rebooted quickly. But others may stay offline far longer, tangled in political battles and legal systems.

2. Who will have the energy to fight? After years of crisis—pandemic, political upheaval, and economic strain—many are exhausted. Is it safer to keep your head down and focus on self-preservation, or do you muster the stamina to push back?

3. What happens to communities the federal government serves? The stakes couldn’t be higher. These aren’t just bureaucratic hiccups; lives are on the line.

The perfect storm

This is the kind of chaos that thrives in a fractured world. Burnout leaves us too tired to organize. Threat of retribution makes us fearful. Expertise is siloed—no one can be an expert on everything, and no single team can fight every battle at once. Meanwhile, opportunists—some rising out of narcissism and others out of ideology—seize this moment to dismantle systems they view as broken, elitist, or unresponsive.

I’ve spent years working inside public health systems, fixing what’s broken from within. I know these systems need reform. But reform requires vision, patience, and a plan. Blowing everything up overnight—without a roadmap—isn’t reform; it’s reckless gambling. And it’s about overwhelming the system. If you attack one program at a time, advocates can organize and fight. But by burning everything down at once, there’s no single target, no clear way for coalitions to unite. It creates chaos, forces compromises, and settles for partial “wins.”

What can you do

The destabilization isn’t a side effect; it’s the point. Russ Vought, a key architect of this freeze, said plainly during his confirmation, “I want people to feel the pain.” And we do. But we’re not powerless. Even amid exhaustion, fear, and uncertainty, we have a role to play.

Here’s how you can take action:

1. Share your story
   I put together a survey with the help of many people today. We want to hear how this federal grant freeze impacts you, your organization, and the people you serve. Please take a moment to complete this anonymous survey and help us humanize the data with real stories. CLICK HERE

2. Advocate for transparency
   Contact your representatives and let them know the stakes. Be clear about how this freeze disrupts essential services in your community.

3. Strengthen local networks
   Collaborate with community leaders, organizations, and coalitions to find temporary solutions for gaps. Grassroots efforts can often fill critical voids.

4. Stay informed and share accurate information
   Rumors thrives in chaos. Stay grounded in verified facts and help others in your network do the same.

5. Support counterbalances
   Legal challenges, advocacy groups, and organizations are pushing back. Lend your voice and support to these efforts.

The sweet spot between self-preservation and action

This moment demands balance. We can’t fight every battle, and no one has infinite energy. For many, the instinct is to put their heads down and focus on survival—and that’s okay. For those with the capacity to act, this is the moment to rise. Find the sweet spot: do what you can, where you can, with the energy you have. Even small actions—sharing a story, making a call, connecting with others—can ripple outward.

Bottom line

The firehose of information and change—and the chaos it creates—is intentional. But power isn’t just top-down. It’s also bottom-up. Share stories on the ground, focus on what we can control, strategize, mobilize, and support counterbalances.

Let’s ensure the voices of those most affected are heard, and that we have a plan for rebuilding when the dust settles.

Love, YLE

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Your Local Epidemiologist (YLE) is founded and operated by Dr. Katelyn Jetelina, MPH PhD—an epidemiologist, wife, and mom of two little girls. YLE reaches more than 305,000 people in over 132 countries with one goal: “Translate” the ever-evolving public health science so that people will be well-equipped to make evidence-based decisions. This newsletter is free to everyone, thanks to the generous support of fellow YLE community members. To support the effort, subscribe or upgrade below: