Madison finance committee warned federal funding changes could affect Pheasant Branch flood project, immunizations and affordable housing funding

Madison’s Finance Committee received an update April 7 on federal executive actions and related court rulings that staff said are creating immediate uncertainty for FEMA and EPA grants, a CDC immunization award and federal tax-credit financing used on local housing projects.

The briefing summarized three near-term risks: a FEMA building-resilient-infrastructure grant tied to the city’s Pheasant Branch flood mitigation work, a $1.8 million CDC immunization supplement that funded four project positions, and federal tax-credit and greenhouse-gas grant funding that helped finance the Triangle B1 affordable housing project.

Why it matters: staff said the city could face reimbursement interruptions or delayed closings on projects that count on federal money, and that changes in tariffs and tax policy could raise construction costs or depress demand for federal tax credits used to finance affordable housing.

Attorney Mike Haas said the legal situation is unsettled but that courts so far “are still in place, ordering that the administration not withhold funding based upon the executive orders issued by the president.” He added some cases allow withholding if other statutory justifications apply and that staff are monitoring grants still being withheld…