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Eugene prepares Washington agenda: United Front trip, three earmark projects and grant-risk review
Summary
City of Eugene Intergovernmental Relations staff told the Intergovernmental Relations Committee the city is preparing for a United Front lobbying trip to Washington, D.C., and is assembling three congressional-directed-spending requests and an internal review of federal-grant risks.
City of Eugene Intergovernmental Relations staff told the Intergovernmental Relations Committee the city is preparing for a United Front lobbying trip to Washington, D.C., and is assembling three congressional-directed-spending requests and an internal review of federal-grant risks in light of shifting federal directives.
The timing matters because earmark requests and rapidly changing federal actions can affect near-term capital and operating plans and prompt the city to seek or to defend federal dollars that support public safety, airport infrastructure and urban-forest resilience.
Ethan said the United Front trip is scheduled for the week of April 7, and that the city’s Washington lobbying firm has rebranded from Smith Dawson Andrews to Smith Garson. “Smith Garson is leading the effort to put together our … policy,” he said, describing preparations and multiple document revisions before the delegation’s travel.
On congressional-directed spending (earmarks), staff said Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden opened a fiscal‑year 2026 portal and that Eugene will submit three project requests: replacement of officer body-worn and in-car (dash) cameras and tasers (Department of Justice programs); airport concourse and baggage‑claim system upgrades (to supplement bond financing and competitive federal grants); and a collaborative urban-forestry and wildfire-resilience planning and species‑replacement mapping project in coordination with Lane County and cities in the region. Ethan said these projects are being scoped now and that some programs historically have not required a local match.
Staff also described work to assess the local impacts of recent White House executive actions and related press reports about temporary freezes on federal grant payments. Ethan said the city has started convening department budget managers to inventory federal funds and estimate downstream impacts so the city can inform its federal and state delegations. “That order has been rescinded,” he said of a temporary freeze on payments, but added the city needs to be prepared for rapid changes and possible litigation that could affect program funding.
The committee did not take formal action on the federal items but asked staff to continue preparing the United Front materials, to refine the earmark project descriptions and to complete the internal analysis of grant exposure and program risk so the city can promptly notify elected officials and partner agencies if funding changes materialize.
Ending: Staff will circulate the United Front policy packet and return with refined earmark proposals and a summary of potential grant impacts to inform council decisions on testimony or letters of support.
