Report Prepared by: Jennifer Flachman, Senior Management Analyst
Title
SUBJECT: Report on 2027 Congressionally Directed Spending (Earmark Funding) Request Submissions
REPORT IN BRIEF
Report on 2027 Congressionally Directed Spending (Earmark Funding) Request submissions.
RECOMMENDATION
For Information Only.
Body
DISCUSSION
Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS), commonly referred to as earmarks, allows Members of Congress to request federal funding for specific projects in their districts that address local community needs. After a temporary moratorium from 2011 to 2021, Congress reinstated this process with new transparency and accountability requirements. Under the current process, local governments, nonprofits, and other eligible entities submit project proposals to their U.S. Representatives and Senators through designated application portals. Congressional offices review submitted proposals, evaluate their eligibility under the relevant appropriations subcommittee accounts, and select a limited number of projects to advance. Selected projects are then formally submitted by Members of Congress to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, which review the requests for eligibility, compliance with federal program requirements, and alignment with overall funding priorities before determining which projects may be included in annual appropriations legislation.
The application portal for Fiscal Year 2027 Congressionally Directed Spending requests opened on the first week in March. It is also important to note that when the City Council approved the City’s participation in the One Voice Conference in Washington, D.C., the Council also approved a list of priority projects for federal advocacy. The projects being submitted for Congressionally Directed Spending requests were previously identified by the Council as priority projects and reflect the City’s strategic federal funding priorities.
Due to the limited timeframe between the announcement of the Fiscal Year 2027 Congressionally Directed Spending opportunity and the opening of the submission portal, staff submitted these priority projects in order to meet the federal application deadlines. Because of the short turnaround time, the requests were submitted prior to being brought to the City Council and did not follow the City’s recently adopted grant guidelines.
Requests were submitted on Friday, March 6, 2026, to Congressman Adam Gray, and on Friday, March 13, 2026, to Senators Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla. Staff is providing this update to inform the City Council of the requests submitted on the City’s behalf.
Staff would also like to note that through this same federal funding process, the City previously secured $3.15 million in Congressionally Directed Spending for the Bear Creek Infrastructure Project and $850,000 for the Childs and Canal Infrastructure Project through Congressman Adam Gray.
The City’s 2027 proposed priorities include the following projects:
• City of Merced Fire Station 56 and Emergency Operations Center Construction Project: $5.4 million - Submitted as project one of two under the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) Subcommittee.
• City of Merced Regional Public Safety Communications Interoperability Project: $3 million - Submitted as project two of two under the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) Subcommittee.
• City of Merced Bear Creek Flood Risk Reduction and Infrastructure Improvement Project: $4 million - Submitted as project one of one under Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD)
IMPACT ON CITY RESOURCES
None at this time.
ATTACHMENTS
1. City of Merced, California Fire Station 56 and Emergency Operations Center Construction Project
2. City of Merced, California Regional Public Safety Communications Interoperability Project
3. City of Merced, California Bear Creek Flood Risk Reduction and Infrastructure Improvement Project