Arlington, county delegation outline 2026 priorities as federal counterterrorism funds are cut

Arlington County Board Chair Takis Carrington and county staff met with members of the Arlington state delegation at a working session to review the county—s 2026 legislative priorities and requests for the General Assembly. County leaders asked for state assistance after federal cuts to regional counterterrorism funding and outlined several local initiatives — including new authority on affordable housing, a performance-parking pilot, tree-canopy protections and oversight changes for the independent police auditor.

The most urgent request centered on federal reductions to Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) funding, a regional counterterrorism program. "We really need help from the commonwealth to weather what we see as a capricious and extreme cut, and to keep our emergency management and counterterrorism systems running," Board member Susan Cunningham said, noting the region—s loss of roughly $20,000,000 and Virginia's share of about $12,000,000. County staff said the larger regional target would be…