ORIGINAL: Medicaid reimbursement portals were down Tuesday in every U.S. state as President Donald Trump’s administration enacted a funding freeze on federal grants and loans.
The White House said it was aware of the outage and said it expected systems to be “back online shortly” without payments being affected. The new White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt wasn’t able to guarantee that people on Medicaid wouldn’t see a cutoff.
She also insisted the pause is temporary.
The Payment Management Services (PMS) web portal organizations use currently warns that due “to Executive Orders regarding potentially unallowable grant payments, PMS is taking additional measures to process payments. Reviews of applicable programs and payments will result in delays and/or rejections of payments.”
Oregon Democratic Senator Ron Wyden called it “a blatant attempt to rip away health insurance from millions of Americans overnight and will get people killed.”
Missouri Republican Senator Josh Hawley said he had been assured Medicaid would not be affected by the funding freeze.
Over 72 million people in the U.S. were enrolled in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) in October 2024. Of those enrolled in either program, more than 37 million were children.
Snow in southern Alabama stymied travel and some power systems, but it also created a great danger for feral cats living in colonies around the Wiregrass. Some locals decided they wanted to take action to help these cats living outside by providing shelters.
Aimee Cobb and her family realized the cats living outside around Dothan were left to the elements with the threat of dangerously cold temperatures and snow — and she decided to do something about it.
She enlisted the help of Debby Tuck, who organizes animal rescues around the Wiregrass.
Cobb and Tuck had worked together in the distant past, and a month prior to the snow event, Tuck helped rescue an entire colony of cats, giving over 20 cats veterinary care and good homes.
Aimee Cobb asked her father, Jerry, to help her build shelters for feral cats who would’ve been in the snow and freezing temperatures without anywhere to go.
They built four cat shelters made of wood with waterproofing outside and insulation and straw inside to keep any critters who need shelter warm — one was completed in around four hours. The boxes have two points of entry, as cats need a way to escape in case they need to flee quickly.
“I think cats and other critters will make a home,” Aimee said. “It’s off the ground, gives them shelter, and protects them from the elements.”
They placed the shelters around town just in time for cats to find a safe place as snow and freezing temperatures set in.
The boxes were immediately put to good use.
“It was so rewarding to see that the cats who lived in the engine of a truck had made their way through the snow, and the next day we were able to see their little footprints into the cat house,” Tuck said.
But the work doesn’t stop there — several other cat colonies need intervention for homes and veterinary care.
“Debby has been instrumental in reducing these populations,” Cobb said. “She’s doing (the cats) a service as well as the community. It makes me feel good to know we did a service to the community and to know some little kitties were nice and warm on a cold night.”
Those who want to help with local cat rescue can call Debby Tuck at 334-596-4673 or donate to their GoFundMe.
Jerry Cobb said he wants to do more as well.
“I enjoyed it, and I’ve been talking to (Aimee) about framing up some more,” he said. “I’d like to do more if I could get a little help and save a bunch more.”
President Donald Trump is pausing federal grants and loans as part of his sweeping review of government spending.
The decision could cause disruption in healthcare research, education programs and other initiatives.
Medicare and Social Security will not be affected, according to the memo.
There was no explanation on whether the pause would affect Medicaid, food stamps, disaster assistance, healthcare research, education programs and more.
States on average receive about 30% of their revenues from the federal government, according to Federal Funds Information for States. The largest grant program is Medicaid, which provides health care for lower-income children and adults. It’s unclear whether the Trump administration’s pause will interrupt the flow of Medicaid reimbursement funds to states.
The Education Department said the pause doesn’t apply to grants received by individuals, including the 40 million Americans with federal student loans and 7 million with Pell Grants.
A Dale County judge is set to decide this week whether to give bond to a Dothan former Marine accused of fatally shooting his girlfriend.
Dustin Rigsbee is charged with the murder of Harleigh Dills, a mother of three, after Rigsbee’s mother called law enforcement to tell them he shot his partner.
At an Aniah’s Law hearing Monday, Dothan Police investigator Scott Spivey said Rigsbee shot Dills with a high-powered rifle early Friday morning before fleeing to Jack in Coffee County to his mother’s home.
The investigator said Rigsbee confessed the murder to his mother, who called 911 and told authorities he’d shot his girlfriend.
Dills was most likely shot at close-range in the face before she was dragged into the master bedroom and covered with a blanket, according to the investigator.
The investigator said three of Rigsbee’s children and two of Dills’s children were in the trailer at the time of the murder. Rigsbee allegedly took the children to his mother’s house.
Once police arrived, Rigsbee fled into the woods wearing a bulletproof vest, armed with an AR-15 and a knife. It took several hours of negotiation to get him to surrender.
Rigsbee was honorably discharged from the Marines and recently treated for PTSD.
Defense attorneys said there was “credible evidence” the shooting was accidental, but prosecutors pushed back, saying since Rigsbee fled and engaged in a standoff he was a flight risk.
Judge Stanley Garner is expected to rule on bond this week.
