Planned cuts to federal funding for Medicaid, food assistance and other safety net programs have Arlington leaders turning to state officials for help.
At a meeting with county staff and County Board members last week, Arlington’s state delegates said they expect to return to Richmond in September to address cuts at the federal level.
They sought input on what they should prioritize, but warned of limits to what will be possible.
“Virginia is in a better position than most, but the idea that [the state government] has a vault of a significant amount of funds? Don’t rely on that,” Del. Alfonso Lopez (D-3) said at the May 19 work session.
Arlington relies on more than $40 million in federal human-services funding each year. If that is cut back significantly, “it’s going to do widespread damage,” said Anita Friedman, director of the county’s Department of Human Services.
“We can’t do this alone,” Friedman said of addressing cuts. “We need support, no matter how it comes.”
At the forum, human services personnel described safety-net programs that have grown substantially since before the pandemic.
- The number of Arlington residents enrolled in Medicaid is up 55% to 29,307.
- More than 5,600 households receive SNAP (food-stamp) benefits, up 61%.
- More than 2,800 households participate in WIC (Women, Infants, Children) programming for low-income families with children up to age 5, an increase of 41%.
In addition, unemployment is trending higher, costs for basics like food and housing are rising, homelessness is increasing and shelters are full, and an estimated 300 to 400 Arlington households are being evicted each month, Friedman told Board members.
Given Arlington County’s existing challenges and commitments, Board Chair Takis Karantonis warned that federal changes create “a snowballing fiscal problem that enlarges as we go.”
State legislators expect to make significant changes to the state budget in September.
“It’s good for us as a delegation to have your priorities, recommendations in the back of our minds as we march toward decision-making,” Del. Adele McClure (D-2) told Board members.
Still, if the current spending bill passes the Senate, Arlington’s state delegation warned that expecting substantial relief from Richmond may be a tall order.
“How do you actually address the gaping hole that’s going to be created by Medicaid [cuts]? We don’t have the funds at the state level. The same holds true for Medicare,” Lopez said.
County Board members did increase social-safety-net spending in the Fiscal Year 2026 budget adopted earlier this year. For the first time, spending on the Department of Human Services passed the $200 million mark.
County and regional officials have been monitoring impacts of cuts proposed or already imposed by the Trump administration and incorporated into a budget bill working its way through Congress. But for now, the situation remains uncertain.
“We’re still before the cliff,” Board member Maureen Coffey said. “It’s too soon to really understand what the trend is, what the real impact is.”
Her colleague Susan Cunningham noted that, for generations, Northern Virginia has been the economic engine of the commonwealth, sending far more revenue to the state government than it receives back in services.
The moment has arrived for state leaders to step up and return the favor, Cunningham said.
“This is a time when we need the commonwealth to support us,” she said.
