Design and Construction Report staff writer
A group of a dozen California congressional Democrats is pushing back against the Trump Administration’s steep proposed cuts to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, warning that the funding reductions jeopardize essential flood control infrastructure across the state.
Led by Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Chair of the California Democratic Congressional Delegation, the lawmakers sent a letter to the House Appropriations Committee expressing “deep concern” over the President’s Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) budget request, which proposes just $1.56 billion in construction funding for the Army Corps—a 53 per cent cut compared to the FY24 enacted level.
“This funding request is seriously insufficient to meet the flood risk management, navigation, ecosystem restoration, and other needs of communities across the country,” the lawmakers wrote in the June 28 letter. “We urge you to reject these proposed, devastating cuts to FY26 USACE construction funding and to support funding for projects that were included in the committee mark in FY25 but excluded from the [administration’s] Work Plan.”
Four critical California flood protection projects were omitted entirely from both the FY25 Work Plan and the FY26 budget request, despite being previously supported in the FY25 President’s budget and in both House and Senate committee-passed appropriations bills. The excluded projects are:
- American River Common Features, Natomas Basin – to reconstruct 42 miles of levees protecting Sacramento and the Natomas Basin;
- Pajaro River at Watsonville – to provide long-needed flood protection to Pajaro, Watsonville, and nearby farmland;
- San Joaquin River Basin, Lower San Joaquin – a high-impact project with a 13-to-1 benefit-cost ratio, intended to safeguard more than 300,000 residents and billions in at-risk infrastructure;
- West Sacramento – to improve more than 41 miles of levees protecting the city and critical waterways like the Sacramento River Deep Water Ship Channel.
“These projects are vital to the safety and prosperity of our constituents,” the lawmakers wrote. “Each of these projects has already received substantial federal funding to date. Leaving the projects half-finished would not be an efficient use of federal or non-federal resources.”
Rep. Josh Harder (D-CA), whose district includes parts of the San Joaquin River Basin, was more blunt: “Yanking flood protection funding at the last minute makes no sense and puts our Valley communities at risk. We face flood threats every year because of aging infrastructure, and now Washington is trying to steal back funding for our levees. I refuse to let them get away with it.”
Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), who represents the Pajaro Valley, said the administration’s decision ignores bipartisan consensus and puts lives and property in danger. “We will keep fighting to protect the people and produce of the Pajaro Valley and ensure the federal government lives up to its commitment to our community.”
Rep. Ami Bera (D-CA) emphasized the risk to Sacramento-area neighborhoods: “Leaving this project unfunded not only puts Sacramento families in harm’s way—it risks wasting the significant progress and investments already made.”
The lawmakers also noted in their letter that the omitted projects all lie in so-called “blue states,” adding to concerns that politics may be influencing funding decisions that are typically bipartisan.
The letter was co-signed by Reps. Josh Harder, Jimmy Panetta, Mike Thompson, Ami Bera, Doris Matsui, Derek Tran, Mike Levin, Nanette Barragán, Robert Garcia, Ro Khanna, and Jared Huffman. Lofgren and others are now urging House appropriators to view the administration’s budget “as a starting point”—and restore funding for projects that communities across California depend on.
The full text of the June 28 letter is available via Rep. Zoe Lofgren’s congressional website.
