Village Could Lose All Federal Funding Including Flood Plan

by Cindy Goldstein -

Federal directives have just been issued to pause all grant funds, loans and other federal assistance including pass-through grants sent to NY State from Washington.  This includes funding for the Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) flood plan.

Freshman Congressman for the 16th District of New York, George Latimer, attended the January 27th Board of Trustees (BOT) meeting and asked for a list of priorities for the Village.  He acknowledged that flood relief would be at the top of the list.

Latimer, having held many elected offices ranging from Rye City Council to most recently as Westchester County Executive, knows the deadly seriousness of flooding in the Village.  He stated that structural problems were still with us and serious flooding could happen again.  The good news is that NYS and Westchester County have pledged a total of $44 million to help fix local flooding. 

The bad news is that under the new administration it looks like the promised federal funds – the bulk of the cost of the project - won’t be coming.

Under the first Trump administration the Army Corps of Engineers flood plan was halted.  It was revived under the Biden administration with the efforts of Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, but recent Executive Orders have put a pause on all projects previously authorized. Latimer was not optimistic that the funding would be reinstated.

The situation is brand new and currently unfolding.  Latimer stated he will continue to press to get information and communicate with the BOT regularly.