An analysis of the Construction Project Congress that will receive continued funding under the 2025 Fiscal Work Plan of the United States Army Corps shows that the Trump administration has led funds to projects in republican states and away from the most “blue” considered states, such as California, Hawaii and Washington State.
According to the Vice President of the Senate Appropriating Committee, Patty Murray (D-Wash), the Agency changed $ 437 million to state funding with mostly democratic administrations in the 2026 presidential budget application, while allocating $ 258 million to the so-called “red” states: to represent 64% to 33%. This is a leap of the traditional protocol, where funding for flood protection infrastructure projects in all states – the unmatched policy – is considered to the invoices of federal expenses that have passed with bipartisan support, he said in a press session on May 22.
Congressional appropriate ones work normally every year on annual expense bills, through a long and often laborious process, which projects receive funding. But the continuous resolution supported by Republican sent to the White House in March reduced funding for the body by $ 1.4 billion and gave the President a wide latitude when making the cuts.
A furious Murray told journalists: “The body of the body of the body of the army of President Trump completely treads all the careful and meticulous negotiations we made in Congress to achieve a bipartisan understanding about what projects need funding and replaces him with his own partisan view.” She added: “Never again.”
Projects with a financing or zero-trace cut include a water storage project and fish passage at Hanson’s Dam in King County, Wash. and at least four important efforts of risk reduction in California. These include the San Joaquin River Basin project of $ 2.0 million, which aims to improve the protection against floods for Stockton updating 23 kilometers of levers and building two closing structures; and one planned to strengthen 42 kilometers of levers around the Natomas basin.
Work on the limbo
In October 2024, the Corps Seattle District granted a dollar 657 million water storage and fish passage project to a joint company of FlatIRON and AECON contractors. According to a district spokesman, the project continues within the completely funded design phase. “The award of the construction option by virtue of this contract depends on the receipt of additional funds,” he said. The body is currently reviewing the design, which is 80% of completion.
In a May 16 call with journalists, Heather Pennington, Tacoma Public Utilisas Water Superintendent, said that his agency was in discussion with the body about the current contract. “I know there is hopes to continue working in the short term, but what is not currently funded and now it will not be financed is unclear. We are very concerned about what can be completed and what the pause and impact will be if we do not achieve additional funding.”
Thomas Keown, General Director of the Covington Water District, based in Kent, Wash.
On May 21, Robyn Colosimo, an assistant army secretary for civil works, denied that the financing changes were politically motivated. Noting the important cuts in the continuous resolution of body projects, the administration’s highest officials “made harsh decisions and had the discretion to make it,” he said in an audience in front of a subcommittee of the Chamber’s appropriations.
“I think these reflect the priorities of the administration,” he said. “I think they had to make commitments to which he was not private.”
