Council briefed on federal landscape: executive orders, reconciliation, appropriations and grant risks

Vicky (Thorn Run Partners) and Pam Welsh, partner at Thorn Run Partners, briefed Greenville City Council on the federal policy outlook, underscoring issues likely to affect municipal funding requests and grant administration in the year ahead.

The presentation covered recent presidential executive orders and their litigation, the congressional reconciliation process, the FY2026 appropriations calendar and current continuing resolution status. Vicky said agencies are reviewing programs and grants to align with the new administration’s executive orders and that litigation already challenges some actions. She noted the federal government is operating under a continuing resolution that runs through Sept. 30, 2025, and that the president had not yet submitted an FY2026 budget.

Pam Welsh explained the budget reconciliation process, which can allow passage of budgetary legislation with a simple Senate majority. She said potential reconciliation targets include extensions of expiring tax provisions, energy priorities and items that could affect municipal finance such as discussions about the tax treatment of municipal bonds, private activity bonds and elements of housing tax credits. Pam also listed programs that could be affected by proposals discussed in Congress, including SNAP, TANF, the child tax credit, the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) and Opportunity Zone incentives.

Both presenters said congressional leaders in the House and Senate were meeting to reconcile competing budget approaches; the House favored a single bill addressing border security, defense and tax items, while the Senate initially prioritized border security and defense and planned to address taxes separately.

Vicky and Pam reviewed the appropriations timeline: members and agencies typically prepare requests in the spring and summer for scoring and earmark processes, and the city will need to be prepared to respond quickly when appropriations portals open. They said the continuing resolution eliminated pending FY2025 earmarks and extended some programs (for example, temporary extensions of TANF and National Flood Insurance Program funding through the CR).

Council members raised concerns about the practical effects on awarded or expected grant funds. Council member Bell asked whether the administration’s review has paused disbursements of Bipartisan Infrastructure Law grants and whether the city has actually received funds it was awarded (for example, bus-stop grants and a “Safe Streets for All” award). City staff said applications and agreements are in process for some grants and that staff will follow up to confirm award disbursements.

Staff also raised FEMA reimbursement status for Hurricane-related costs, saying an expedited FEMA request had been prepared; the staff speaker provided an estimated expedited request amount during the meeting but the figure was unclear in the transcript and will need confirmation from finance staff.

Pam and Vicky noted possible legislative activity on affordable housing, including potential expansion of LIHTC and other housing measures previously introduced by Senator Tim Scott (referred to in the presentation as the Road to Housing Act). They said HUD leadership has expressed interest in working with Congress on housing proposals and that the city should monitor developments and work with the congressional delegation when priorities and funding windows open.

No action or vote was required by the council on the briefing. City staff said they will return to council to set priorities and to seek direction when appropriations portals open and when specific funding opportunities align with city projects.

After the presentations the council moved to an executive session under South Carolina Code §30-4-782 (motion and second recorded; verbal approval was taken but a roll-call vote count was not specified in the public transcript).