Sara Innamorato has committed taxpayer dollars from the Department of Human Services’ budget to settle around 80 new refugees in the Allegheny area.
Allegheny County has pledged $224,000 in taxpayer dollars to refugee resettlement groups Hello Neighbor, AJAPO, and Jewish Family and Community Services of Pittsburgh in response to a federal “stop work” order.
Allegheny County’s contribution will offset the $672,000 in federal funds currently frozen by the Trump administration amid attempts to audit and cut down on wasteful government spending. The refugee resettlement groups plan to use the funds to assist an approximate 80 refugees moving to the Allegheny area with services ranging from obtaining state documentation to obtaining housing and clothing.
“While the federal government is causing chaos and confusion with abrupt firings and freezes, we are providing stability and will do what we can to support our service providers in their critical work to make Allegheny County a safe and welcoming community,” stated Sara Innamorato, county executive for Allegheny.
While the efforts made to assist legal refugees looking to resettle are not necessarily controversial, local Republican leaders have pointed out that directing funds from the PA Department of Human Services (DHS) to private organizations will inevitably impact other areas of the department’s existing budget.
“Council itself will be tasked with looking at how this shift of funds fits into our budgetary priorities,” stated Suzanne Filiaggi, a Republican councilwoman in Allegheny County. “We have to see if this is a judicious use of taxpayer money. I’m not making this a controversial issue. It’s, ‘Can we afford it?’”
For Innamorato and other local officials, however, the opportunity to fund refugee services with state dollars may be partially motivated by a desire to retaliate against the Trump administration’s spending audit. Both Innamorato and Ed Gainey, Mayor of Pittsburgh, explicitly criticized the federal government in their statements regarding the funding, with Gainey accusing the administration of “falling short on its responsibilities to refugee families.”
Gainey went on to describe how his administration “is committed to stepping up with the county and across-city agencies to meet this funding obligation to support our neighbors,” adding, “I will not compromise on that commitment for the President or for anyone else.”
With the refugee resettlement dollars set to be pulled from the DHS budget, it remains to be seen how such a pledge could impact precarious ongoing budget negotiations in Harrisburg. Republican members of the House and Senate have already expressed their concerns with Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposed 2025-26 spending plan, which would expand state spending by $3.57 billion over the prior year.
The initial months of the second Trump administration’s tenure have been marked by an emphasis on slashing government spending. The newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), headed by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, has boasted an approximate $55 billion in savings already recovered through its extensive re-evaluation of federal contracts and expenditures.
While it is unknown whether or when the Trump administration may resume the flow of federal funding, the order is currently being challenged before a federal judge.
