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DuPage County committee renews McGuireWoods federal lobbying contract, hears update on Washington priorities
Summary
The DuPage County Legislative Committee approved a one-year contract with McGuireWoods Consulting LLC and received a federal lobbying update from the firm's representative about budget uncertainty, possible cuts to climate-branded programs, three congressional project selections totaling $1.5 million and a $5 million Army Corps pre-authorization.
The DuPage County Legislative Committee approved a contract renewal with McGuireWoods Consulting LLC to provide federal lobbying services and heard the firm—s representative outline how a new federal administration could affect county funding and grants.
The committee voted unanimously to authorize the McGuireWoods contract, covering lobbying for the U.S. Congress and the federal executive branch on behalf of DuPage County departments including transportation, public works and stormwater, for the period Feb. 1, 2025, through Jan. 31, 2026, for a total not to exceed $96,000.
The action followed a presentation from Greg Bales, the McGuireWoods representative, who described a largely unknown federal landscape as the incoming administration sets priorities. "We're in this wait-and-see holding pattern," Bales said, adding that "one of the biggest questions that's sort of most relevant to local government is what's gonna happen on the budget front?" He warned that programs branded around climate change could be at greater risk of reduction or rebranding under the new administration.
Bales highlighted three items the firm advanced for DuPage in the 2024 appropriations process: three projects submitted in House appropriations language for fiscal 2025 that total $1,500,000, covering a stormwater project, a road infrastructure project and a flood reduction project. He cautioned the committee that because Congress is operating under a continuing resolution, those earmarks remain in limbo until FY25 funding is finalized.
Bales also described a separate accomplishment tied to the Water Resources Development Act. He said DuPage County was included as a pre-authorized entity under Army Corps of Engineers authority in a Section 219 provision, which he characterized as a first step toward federal Corps collaboration on certain local flood and infrastructure projects. "There's $5,000,000 preauthorized," he said, describing the pre-authorization as a way to establish a "foot in the door" for future Corps work.
Committee members asked about which federal programs might be cut; Bales repeated that funding labeled for climate-related programs appeared most vulnerable to change and that appropriations and congressional negotiations would determine final outcomes. Committee members and attendees also discussed how McGuireWoods curates county priorities for members of Congress and how staff will provide one-page bill analyses as issues arise.
The committee approved the contract renewal by voice vote; the motion and second were recorded but the meeting transcript did not identify the mover or seconder by name. The vote was announced as unanimous.
