Hanna Public Schools, which offers grades K-12, is the heart of this community in far western McIntosh County.

The school’s enrollment is 60.

With a dozen faculty and administrators, it may be the single largest employer in town.

The school, and the town, have survived droughts and depressions and dwindling populations – according to the 2020 Census the population was 102 and the poverty rate was 47 percent.

But will they survive national politics?

On Monday, Jan. 27, according to a memorandum by the White House budget office, all federal grant and loan programs were frozen until the administration could determine if those grants and loans were in line with President Trump’s goals.

The memorandum stated that the pause would not affect Social Security or Medicare benefits or assistance provided “directly to individuals.”

However, initial reports of the memorandum sent shockwaves throughout the nation, especially among those that rely on grants for survival.

The waves rippled down to Hanna Public Schools.

“Hanna is a tiny, super small school,” said Superintendent Beverly Robison, who answered the school’s telephone when a reporter called asking for her reaction to the federal edict.

Like many in small schools, she wears several hats, including school principal.

“We are very thin on budget,” Robison said. “We really depend on grants. It would have a major impact on us.”

However, on Tuesday, Jan. 28, she was able to breathe a temporary sigh of relief when a U.S. District Court Judge in Washington put a freeze on the edict until a hearing on the injunction could be held, which was to take place Monday, Feb. 3.

In another development, on Feb. 3, a second federal judge, this one in Rhode Island, also temporarily halted the grant freeze.

Last week, on Wednesday, Jan. 29, the Office of Management and Budget rescinded the toxic memorandum, blaming confusion about the order on the court’s injunction and by “dishonest media coverage.”

And so schools, as well as state, county, and city governments along with numerous agencies created to help those in need are now looking uneasily to the future, wondering who will come under the ax.

However, not everyone is worried.

McIntosh County Sheriff Kevin Ledbetter says he doesn’t rely much on grants.

“We never have,” he said.

The only grant that might be affected for his department is one that allows him to pay overtime to an officer who works accidents.

The three McIntosh County Commissioners had diverse opinions, but overall supported Trump.

“I’m excited Trump is president,” said District 2 Commissioner Clifford McElhaney. “I’m not scared, not even a little bit. This is just a process of changing presidents. After all is said and done, everybody will be just fine.”

District 3 County Commissioner Bobby Ziegler says he isn’t concerned about any freeze that might occur.

“It would just be temporary, short term,” he said.

He believes Trump cares about schools and counties and the state.

He said Trump wants to stop the outrageous wasteful spending, like on wind turbines, drag queens visiting schools, DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) programs, and “sex changes for minors.”

“He’s got to get a handle on stuff,” Ziegler said.

District 1 County Commissioner Loyal “Dean” Taylor was reluctant to comment on the issue since everything is up in the air at this point.

“It’s in limbo. Nobody really knows what’s going on. But if it’s long term, it would definitely affect us. We get grants from the state that come from the federal government.”

He said an important federal grant they receive annually is one that allows the commissioners to buy equipment.

But the districts in the county share the grant – with the districts receiving the money on a rotating basis.

“I’m definitely nervous,” he said.

Eufaula City Manager Jeb Jones noted that any grants used for the construction of the water and sewer projects were safe since they had already been awarded.

He was concerned that a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grant – actually three grants – for a fire truck and firefighting equipment might be in jeopardy.

“We’re keeping an eye on that,” he said.

Also a COPS Hiring Program grant could potentially be affected. The grant funds three positions in the police department.

“But I don’t think that will be touched because it’s a public safety grant,” he said.

Kim Woodruff, executive director of Under One Roof, says her organization would not be directly affected if grants are frozen.

“But a lot of our tenants would be,” she said.

Under One Roof has about 10 agencies in the building, among them Carl Albert Mental Health, McIntosh County Coalition for Healthy Community, Muskogee Nation Center for Victim Services, and Youth Emergency Shelter.

“Everyone is kind of waiting to see what happens,” Woodruff said.