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 ...
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