Vancouver officials fear another Trump administration will reduce future federal funding for projects the city has planned.
The Vancouver City Council heard from its lobbyists at a workshop Monday night about the city’s federal agenda for 2025.
Vancouver saw much success during the second half of outgoing President Joe Biden’s administration when it came to federal funding.
From 2022 to 2024, Congress awarded Vancouver about $9.1 million for wastewater treatment equipment, road projects and police body cameras. The city also received almost $25 million in federal grants that went toward urban forestry, a safe streets initiative, the Heights District redevelopment project and firefighting equipment.
“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,” said Joel Rubin, managing partner with the public policy advocacy firm CFM Advocates.
However, the Trump administration may carry forward infrastructure investment because Biden’s 2021 funding package 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 said. “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.”
The city backed $2.1 billion in successful federal funding requests for the Interstate 5 Bridge Replacement Program. However, Trump has yet to propose a comprehensive infrastructure investment plan similar to Biden’s and budget cuts are looming.
Although the economy is growing, the federal government will likely make cuts for largely the same reasons the city of Vancouver did — inflation and rising costs. The U.S. budget deficit is projected to reach $1.9 trillion — one of the highest yearly deficit increases in American history, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
National budget cuts could also threaten housing and homelessness assistance and climate initiatives.
Previously, the city has received large grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, including an incoming $7 million grant for housing along the Fourth Plain corridor.
The city has also spearheaded climate action initiatives with a goal to become carbon neutral throughout Vancouver by 2040. Trump previously criticized energy initiatives on the campaign trail and plans to roll back the Inflation Reduction Act, which provides billions of dollars in incentives for clean energy investments.
Clawing back the act could jeopardize opportunities to fund the city’s climate initiatives laid out in its Climate Action Framework.
David Hodges, partner with CFM Advocates, said the city’s congressional delegation will have sway and help fight for project funding. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., is currently the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Sen. Maria Cantwell, a fellow Washington Democrat, is a ranking member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
Aaron Lande, the city’s policy and program manager, said the city should look for other funding sources, including within the private or philanthropic market and at the state level.
“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 said.
