Many previously planned Army Corps of Engineers projects are being put on hold until the impasse over the government shutdown in Washington is resolved.
The Office of Management and Budget says those projects have a total dollar value more than $11 billion and include a number of water-related projects across the country.
In a statement, Russell Vought, director of the OMB, blamed the Democrat members of Congress for negatively impacting the “Army Corps of Engineers’ ability to manage billions of dollars in projects.”
Vought described the cancelled work as “low priority projects.” According to the White House they are in a dozen states in all regions of the country.
Those dozen states all voted for Democrat Kamala Harris in the last presidential election. In response, Washington Democrat Senator Patty Murray said the White House was “illegally and punitively blocking funds.”
Army Corps of Engineers work, usually approved by Congress, includes ecosystem restoration, flood control, hydropower dam management, and river navigation projects.
A statement from that agency indicated that “once the lapse and review are over, the Administration may consider taking further actions that limit, cancel, or reprioritize resources in a manner that is consistent with these reviews and with the Administration’s stated priorities.”
The White House has thus far said the pausing is temporary, but has not ruled out a formal cancellation of any of the projects.
October 23, 2025
By Garry Boulard
Graphic courtesy of Pixabay
