Nearly $10M in congressional requests for Austin projects canceled under federal funding plan

Editor's note: This article was updated to include comment from Austin Habitat for Humanity.

Millions of dollars requested by Austin-area federal lawmakers will not be directed to several local projects this year under the "continuing resolution" approved by Congress in March.

What happened

Passage of the continuing resolution avoided a federal government shutdown and roughly maintained the previous federal budget for the rest of the current fiscal year. That legislation didn't include all pending congressional requests for Community Project Funding, or dedicated dollars for local initiatives, previously known as earmarks.

In Austin, projects affected by that change range from city parks upgrades to affordable housing developments that local representatives had sought to fund. The city won't receive nearly $10 million in anticipated support, including:

• $3.25 million for additions to the North Walnut Creek Trail network, a system that was previously expanded through the congressional funding program
• $1.18 million for community violence interventions under Austin Public Health
• $1.61 million for water quality improvements and creek restoration along the Waterloo Greenway, and an update to Palm Park
• $850,000 for Foundation Communities' redevelopment of Mary Lee Square on South Lamar Boulevard with affordable housing
• $850,000 for the city's rehabilitation of the Sunken Gardens at Barton Springs, a critical habitat for the endangered Austin blind and Barton Springs salamanders
• $850,000 for child care services at the Dove Springs Early Childhood Education Center, located in a child care desert in Southeast Austin
• $850,000 for the Esperanza Community, a transitional shelter community with housing and job services for homeless residents run by The Other Ones Foundation
• $250,000 for the Persimmon Point affordable housing development from Austin Habitat for Humanity in Southeast Austin that's also been funded by the city

“While the news that anticipated funding for these important community projects will not be available this fiscal year is certainly disappointing, we will not abandon these efforts,” Mayor Kirk Watson said in a March 21 statement. “The city will continue to prioritize and seek to identify ways to fund important projects. We are also hopeful that earmarks will be considered in fiscal year [2025-26] and stand ready to assist our congressional delegation in championing the needs of Austinites."

Overall in Central Texas, millions more in congressional project funding requests for Travis County, Austin ISD, Austin Community College and other local entities won't be coming this year.

However, the community funding could return in the future. Austin Intergovernmental Relations Officer Carrie Rogers said early indications point to the earmark program returning in the congressional budgeting process for the next fiscal year, when some canceled requests could be revived.

Looking back

Projects around Austin received more than $20 million from Congressional Community Project Funding over the past few years.

That includes earlier support for the Walnut Creek Trail; trauma recovery and community violence intervention; the "wishbone" bridge now under construction at Longhorn Dam; portions of the east-west Bergstrom Spur Trail through South Austin; planning for the city's amenity decks proposed alongside the state's I-35 expansion; and other mobility, water quality and public health initiatives.

What they're saying

Both of Austin's Democratic U.S. House representatives had voted against the CR and pushed back on the funding update that canceled 10 Austin-specific requests between them.

U.S. Rep. Greg Casar, who asked to fund more than a dozen projects across his district, said Austinites deserve better than the cuts to local public safety and child care initiatives. U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, who submitted nearly a dozen requests, called the CR a "fiscally irresponsible" move at the expense of community projects.

“I worked for months with the city, the SAFE Alliance, and AISD to develop and gain Appropriation Subcommittee approval for worthwhile projects that meet genuine local needs," he said in a statement. "Now that effort is most regretfully lost, though I will look for an opportunity to try again in next year’s appropriation bill.”

Both House Republicans representing Austin voted for the CR. U.S. Rep. Tom Cole, the Republican House Appropriations Committee chair, said the "straightforward" bill didn't carry unrelated budget provisions in a March 15 statement.

U.S. Rep. Mike McCaul, whose district includes a portion of West Austin, submitted several funding asks including one for ACC's Northridge Campus that now won't be moving ahead. His office didn't have anything further to share on the funding update March 24. Republican U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, who represents some of Southwest Austin, didn't submit any funding requests after previously pledging against the practice. His office didn't respond to a request for comment March 24.

The lack of Community Project Funding could affect the Foundation Communities project in South Austin, although the nonprofit is still advancing the development.

“Not receiving the funding was disappointing, but we knew it was unlikely given the political climate. We are working to raise other private and public funding to keep the project moving forward even if it takes longer," Executive Director Walter Moreau said.

Austin Habitat is still assessing the potential impacts of the funding update on its affordable housing project.

"While this year's proposed Congressional Community Funding was not approved, we remain grateful for the strong partnerships we've built within the community that have allowed us to move forward with Persimmon Point," Angel Leverett, vice president of marketing and communications, said in an email.

Other affected Austin organizations and city departments didn't respond to requests for comment as of press time.