$50M cut from Arizona projects in federal budget deal

• Local governments nationwide that were counting on the funds will now have to find other money or postpone the projects.

Catch up quick: Congressional Republicans crafted a continuing resolution to fund the federal government through September, and President Trump signed it March 14 — just before the government was set to run out of money.

• The stopgap funding bill maintained most spending but axed about $13 billion in earmarks that would have gone toward local projects requested by members of Congress.

How it works: House members can request federal dollars for specific local projects as part of the annual budgeting process. These typically include pricey infrastructure investments like bridge repairs, water line replacement or highway expansion.

• Nearly all Democrats make these requests. Some Republicans choose not to, given the party's ideological opposition to earmarks.

Zoom in: Last year, during the budgeting process for fiscal year 2025, Democratic U.S. Reps. Greg Stanton, Raúl Grijalva and Ruben Gallego and Republican U.S. Rep. Juan Ciscomani made community project requests.

• Through the budget process that wrapped up last summer, the members collectively secured preliminary approval of more than $50 million, with Ciscomani accounting for the lion's share at $34 million.
• His projects included $7 million to repave and replace parts of Buffalo Soldier Trail in Sierra Vista, $7 million to repair and maintain bridges in Oro Valley and $4.4 million for new police vehicles in Tucson.

Friction point: Ciscomani was the only member of Arizona's delegation who secured earmark funds and then supported the continuing resolution that killed them.

• In a statement to Axios, his spokesperson, Andres Kardonski, said the congressman voted for the resolution "to avoid a government shutdown that would have cost millions of dollars, harmed his constituents and disrupted critical services millions of Americans rely on."
• He said Ciscomani was disappointed the community funding was cut from the continuing resolution and is committed to finding funding for each project.

The intrigue: Earmarks are a powerful campaigning tool for politicians in swing districts, like Ciscomani's. They give elected officials hyper-local examples of how they can improve the lives of voters and often solicit bipartisan praise.

• Ciscomani celebrated the secured project funding in a press release last July, saying, "I promised to use my position as Arizona's sole House appropriator to bring as many federal dollars as possible back to our district while maintaining a strong sense of fiscal responsibility."
• The release included a deluge of complimentary quotes from local leaders, including Democratic Tucson Mayor Regina Romero, who thanked Ciscomani for "making sure that we have the resources to put the right work in the right hands."
• At a meeting last week, Romero ripped Congress for failing to pass a budget and said Tucson's lost funding "is not just disappointing; it makes a mockery of congressional directed spending processes."

What we're watching: Arizona's delegation will presumably try to re-secure the lost funding in next fiscal year's budget — but with the Trump administration's fixation on government efficiency and spending cuts, there's no guarantee the same funding pool will be available.