Vancouver officers worry one other Trump administration will cut back future federal funding for initiatives the town has deliberate.
The Vancouver Metropolis Council heard from its lobbyists at a workshop Monday night time concerning the metropolis’s federal agenda for 2025.
Vancouver noticed a lot success throughout the second half of outgoing President Joe Biden’s administration when it got here to federal funding.
From 2022 to 2024, Congress awarded Vancouver about $9.1 million for wastewater therapy gear, street initiatives and police physique cameras. Town additionally acquired nearly $25 million in federal grants that went towards city forestry, a secure streets initiative, the Heights District redevelopment undertaking and firefighting gear.
“I do think that the new Trump administration is going to look for a number of areas to cut government funding and to cut regulations and to potentially reduce the staff size of the federal government,” mentioned Joel Rubin, managing accomplice with the general public coverage advocacy agency CFM Advocates.
Nonetheless, the Trump administration might carry ahead infrastructure funding as a result of Biden’s 2021 funding package deal expires in 2026.
“The optimistic side of me says that President-elect Donald Trump would want to do more than the previous administration when it comes to infrastructure,” Rubin mentioned. “So that’s one area that I think could be an opportunity to fund additional local infrastructure for your community, your residents, but we’ll have to see how that all plays out.”
Town backed $2.1 billion in profitable federal funding requests for the Interstate 5 Bridge Alternative Program. Nonetheless, Trump has but to suggest a complete infrastructure funding plan much like Biden’s and finances cuts are looming.
Though the financial system is rising, the federal authorities will probably make cuts for largely the identical causes the town of Vancouver did — inflation and rising prices. The U.S. finances deficit is projected to succeed in $1.9 trillion — one of many highest yearly deficit will increase in American historical past, in accordance with the Congressional Price range Workplace.
Nationwide finances cuts may additionally threaten housing and homelessness help and local weather initiatives.
Beforehand, the town has acquired giant grants from the U.S. Division of Housing and City Improvement, together with an incoming $7 million grant for housing alongside the Fourth Plain hall.
Town has additionally spearheaded local weather motion initiatives with a objective to turn out to be carbon impartial all through Vancouver by 2040. Trump beforehand criticized power initiatives on the marketing campaign path and plans to roll again the Inflation Discount Act, which gives billions of {dollars} in incentives for clear power investments.
Clawing again the act may jeopardize alternatives to fund the town’s local weather initiatives specified by its Local weather Motion Framework.
David Hodges, accomplice with CFM Advocates, mentioned the town’s congressional delegation can have sway and assist struggle for undertaking funding. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., is presently the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Sen. Maria Cantwell, a fellow Washington Democrat, is a rating member of the Vitality and Pure Assets Committee.
Aaron Lande, the town’s coverage and program supervisor, mentioned the town ought to search for different funding sources, together with inside the non-public or philanthropic market and on the state degree.
“How do we keep a healthy mix of our grant pursuits and not put our eggs all in the federal basket or the state basket?” he mentioned.