Senator Murray on Trump Defunding Blue State Army Corps Construction: “This is Some Corrupt B-S”
Washington, D.C. — Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, issued the following statement on the release of the Army Corps’ work plans detailing how it will spend the funding provided by Congress under Republicans’ yearlong continuing resolution for fiscal year 2025. The plans show how Trump’s Army Corps of Engineers intends to zero out and significantly cut funding for essential projects in Washington state and across the country.
Among other important priorities, the Army Corps’ plans include the complete elimination of construction funding for the Howard Hanson Dam fish passage facility in Washington state–which was otherwise poised to receive $500 million this year in funding Senator Murray secured in the fiscal year 2025 appropriations bill she wrote as Chair and passed through committee in August 2024, as well as in House Republicans’ fiscal year 2025 bill.
Overall, the Army Corps’ plans would steer hundreds of millions of dollars more in construction funding to red states while cutting hundreds of millions of dollars in construction funding for blue states, relative to the president’s fiscal year 2025 request. This includes the complete elimination of Army Corps construction funding for states like California. The president’s budget request has, historically, been fully funded–and was fully funded in both the Senate and House draft fiscal year 2025 appropriations bills.
“This is some corrupt B-S from the President. We are witnessing a historic and serious, politically motivated abuse of our taxpayer dollars by President Trump. I am going to fight to make sure our communities get the resources they need.
“Trump is ripping away taxpayer dollars from blue states like mine for absolutely critical Army Corps projects that maintain and build foundational water infrastructure–whether it’s dredging for our ports, protecting communities from flood waters, or maintaining major dams. President Trump is setting a dangerous precedent—one that Republicans need to think carefully about. This is not how things should ever work in America.
“I am furious that this administration plans to unilaterally defund construction on the Howard Hanson Dam, which was set to receive $500 million to execute a necessary construction contract this year–funding I fought tooth and nail for in the appropriations bill I cleared unanimously out of committee last year and that was also included in the House Appropriations bill drafted by Republicans. This is a staggering betrayal of Washington state and the entire Pacific Northwest and a tremendous, unacceptable setback in the important work to safeguard our water supply, protect our communities from dangerous flooding, and save our salmon. Eliminating this funding will also prevent the federal government from meeting its legal obligations to finish construction of this passage.
“I fought so hard against Republicans’ slush fund CR for exactly this reason: it handed authority over to the Trump administration to move money around and unilaterally defund critical projects, just like we are seeing now. I warned that Republicans’ bill, which was drafted without any Democratic input, would be catastrophic for the nearly 8 million people I represent in Washington state and so many others across the country, and I fear that is now exactly what we are witnessing.
“It does not pass muster that nearly half a billion dollars is no longer needed for Washington state’s Howard Hanson Dam, nor should anyone believe that the most populous state in America–California–should receive exactly zero dollars for Army Corps construction work.
“Congress must rein Trump in—or he is going to keep trampling the powers of Congress and the communities we all came here to fight for. It may not be your state today, but all of my colleagues must push back now–and forcefully.”
Supporting the Howard Hanson Dam has been a longtime priority for Senator Murray, and she has pressed the Army Corps to prioritize funding for the Dam for years. Under the last administration, Senator Murray was able to secure critical funding boosts for Howard Hanson Dam, including $220 million in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and $50 million to begin construction of the Fish Passage facility in the funding bills for Fiscal Year 2024 that Murray wrote as then-Chair of the Appropriations Committee. Back in 2010, Murray secured $44 million in badly needed emergency funds for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to repair the Howard Hanson Dam. In the draft fiscal year 2025 appropriations bill she cleared unanimously out of Committee last year, Senator Murray secured $500 million for the fish passage project, which would also address flood risk and water supply issues for cities like Tacoma and Covington. $500 million was also included in the House’s draft fiscal year 2025 appropriations bill. The funding is needed to execute a construction option on the contract for the project, which would have allowed construction to begin in 2026 as scheduled.
Congress typically provides specific, detailed instructions in its annual appropriations bills on how the Army Corps (and so many other agencies) must spend funding provided by Congress. Annual appropriations bills note exactly what Army Corps projects must be funded and at what levels. But instead of working with Democrats to pass full-year appropriations bills that deliver for communities across America, Republicans in Congress put forth a yearlong continuing resolution (CR) that failed to include hundreds of specific directives on how funding must be spent. For months, Senator Murray warned of the dangers of passing Republicans’ slush fund CR, noting, for example, that it would allow the administration to zero out funding for Army Corps projects.
In a floor speech ahead of the Senate vote on House Republicans’ yearlong CR, Senator Murray warned about the consequences of passing the bill, stating:
“This bill is a green light for Donald Trump and Elon Musk to redirect funding to their own pet projects, force states and communities to abide by their directives, and slash, burn, and zero out programs that our families count on… This bill will let them pick which Army Corps, transit, and military construction projects move ahead—and which grind to a halt… That’s not how this should work. That’s not how this should work in America… If you ask Elon really nicely and you also don’t ask too many questions about his billions of dollars in conflicts of interest… maybe he won’t pull the plug on those critical dam repairs the Army Corps was working on. I mean what sort of deal is that? And what do they think is going to happen next?”
Senator Murray delivered the same warning in another floor speech just the day before:
“I really want to make sure all of my colleagues understand how bad this bill is… This is not a ‘clean’ CR as some Republicans claim—it cuts programs our communities rely on. That includes a major 44% cut to Army Corps projects that help mitigate against floods, hurricanes, and much else… It also lacks the basic guardrails we include in all of our funding bills—on a bipartisan basis each and every year—to make sure our states and communities are taken care of and not subject to the whims of the Trump administration to pick winners and losers.”
From Senator Murray’s March 9th, 2025, fact sheet on the yearlong CR:
“This full-year CR would hand vast discretion over spending decisions to President Trump and his administration to zero out programs and redirect funding as they see fit… ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS: Gives the Trump administration near-absolute discretion to select which Army Corps projects to fund, allowing President Trump to slow and stop particular projects for political reasons. Construction funding is cut by 44%, which will halt progress on some ongoing projects that mitigate the impacts of hurricanes, flooding, and more.”
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