House Republicans Make Community Project Funding Increasingly Partisan

Republicans Cutoff Boys & Girls Clubs, YMCAs, and Even Religious Organizations in their Districts

WASHINGTON — House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) released the following statement on the changes to the Community Project Funding guidelines:

“When I created the Community Project Funding process last Congress, we put in place transparency and accountability requirements that ensured the process was an avenue for Members of Congress to directly respond to the needs of the people we represent. We did not want to repeat the mistakes of the past when funding for local projects was dropped in or pulled out at the last second based on a whim. While in the majority, House Republicans have taken the successful process we created and injected their extreme partisan politics at every turn.

“Deeming non-profits ineligible for Community Project Funding in the Economic Development Initiative (EDI) account is a seismic shift, as nearly half of all the 2024 House-funded EDI projects were directed to non-profit recipients. YMCAs, Boys & Girls Clubs, and other groups vital to our communities are all now ineligible.

“In order to accommodate the extreme Republican wing, Republicans are trying to root out any help for the LGBTQ+ community. They are willing to hurt their own religious organizations, seniors, and veterans. The result of this change does not just hurt House Democrats. They are hurting Members of their own party by putting all House Members at a severe disadvantage.

“The restrictions House Republicans started last Congress were misguided. The changes to eligibility announced today are even worse. When House Democrats are in control next Congress, we will reverse these decisions.”

Ranking Member DeLauro brought back Community Project Funding at the beginning of the 117th Congress, leading both the House and the Senate in reintroducing this avenue for Members of Congress to directly respond to their districts’ needs. She put in place new transparency and accountability requirements to ensure this small portion of government funding would not be politicized.

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