Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Federal funding uncertainty could delay county earmarks, lobbyist warns
Summary
At the April 7, 2026 Legislative Committee meeting, federal lobbyist Riley Oconor said delays in Congress and the president's proposed FY27 budget could push back announcements and selections for earmarks, while core formula grant flows such as CDBG are unlikely to be fully zeroed out by Congress.
SPRINGFIELD (April 7, 2026) — A Washington briefing to the county Legislative Committee on Thursday warned that federal budget turbulence may delay local earmark announcements and complicate the timetable for projects seeking congressional funding.
Riley Oconor, a federal lobbyist with the Lincoln Park Group, told the committee that Congress has not completed work on the appropriations process and that ‘‘we've got 11 of our 12 bills done. Homeland still sitting out there.’’ He said an unresolved Department of Homeland Security funding lapse and other political obstacles have pushed normal appropriations timing later than usual.
‘‘The president would like [the appropriations work] done by June 1st,’’ Oconor said, but he added that late votes and unusual procedural approaches — including talk of using reconciliation to avoid a…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
