Federal lobbyist briefs Hanford council on Washington priorities; flags tariffs, tax risks and grant status

Greg Burns, a Washington-based lobbyist with Thorn Run Partners, briefed the Hanford City Council at a study session on federal priorities that could affect local funding and grants and summarized recent wins the firm helped secure for the city.

Burns framed his remarks against a narrow congressional margin that he said makes Washington politics unpredictable. “It’s very, very slim for the Republicans,” he said of the House margin, and he discussed implications for government funding, the farm bill (which contains the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), and other items that occupy Congress this year.

Burns warned that a budget-reconciliation vehicle being discussed in Washington could put tax-exempt municipal bonds at risk as part of proposed tax-law changes. He said that change would raise borrowing costs if the federal tax exemption for municipal bonds were removed — a development he said “could impact local governments” even though Hanford has not relied heavily on municipal bonds in recent years.

On grants and direct benefits to Hanford, Burns said Thorn Run Partners has helped the city win several federal awards. He listed more than $500,000 for a veterans-and-senior building renovation, about $7,300,000 for the East Lacey Corridor improvement project, $15,500,000 in a competitive grant for “Fast Track Hanford,” and $1,660,000 from the railroad Grade Crossing Elimination program for the Grangeville Boulevard planning work. Burns said the city also secured competitive forestry program funding. “Some of these grant programs could potentially be held up for a bit, by some of the funding freeze,” he said, adding that the forestry program looked comparatively more at risk from any short-term federal spending freeze.

Council members thanked Burns and asked about practical questions: Vice Mayor Travis Paden asked whether turning down an awarded grant would hurt future prospects. Burns said it depends on the circumstances and urged the city to explain a clear rationale if it declines an award, and to engage the new administration carefully if awards were made under the previous administration.

Burns also noted risks and shifts in federal policy — including tariffs and regulatory rollbacks — and briefly described administrative changes in Washington that can affect federal spending timelines. He offered to continue working with the city on community-funded project proposals and the city’s ongoing applications under the bipartisan infrastructure law.

The presentation drew no formal council action; Council members expressed appreciation for the firm’s work and asked staff to remain engaged on grant administration and monitoring the status of awarded funds given federal-level uncertainty.