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Mayor: Wilkes‑Barre officials pressing lawmakers on possible federal grant cuts to health and housing programs
Summary
Mayor George Brown told council he and staff met with the congressional and senatorial offices to press for continued funding for the local health department, CDBG housing grants and a FEMA program after residents asked about potential federal cuts.
Mayor George Brown told Wilkes‑Barre City Council on May 8 that he and staff have raised possible federal grant cuts with lawmakers and their regional staff, and described meetings to explain the consequences for city services.
“Some of the grants that we receive may be cut,” Brown said, and he told council he had met with Congressman Brezhnehan and the congressman’s staff to discuss potential reductions for the health department, HUD Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) that support local housing programs, and the FEMA program noted by staff.
Brown said the city also hosted the regional representative for Senator McCormick for the same discussion. He identified several city program leaders and staff who participated or briefed lawmakers: Hank Rudolfski, head of the health department; Joyce Dacoski, who oversees CDBG administration; Jay Delaney, who spoke about the FEMA program; and Chief Coffey, who spoke about earmark funds. “We were very open, very honest about that,” Brown said of the meetings with federal offices.
The mayor said officials are watching the proposals and have communicated the potential local impacts. The council did not adopt any budget amendments at the meeting; the mayor’s comments indicated the conversations were part of outreach to federal representatives rather than a final decision on funding changes.
Council members and staff encouraged continued engagement with congressional and senatorial offices; no formal motion or vote was recorded on the topic at the meeting. City officials did not give dollar amounts for the potentially affected grants during the public meeting and said they would continue to follow up with lawmakers and staff.
The mayor also noted that the city provides services beyond its boundaries through health‑department programs, and warned that cuts could reduce those services if funding is eliminated.
Council members did not specify contingency plans or budget offsets at the meeting; Mayor Brown said the city had discussed the matters with federal staff to make them aware of local reliance on the grants.
