Federal Cuts Hit Illinois City Plagued by Sewage
Date Posted: April 24, 2025
Posted In: News,
From St. Louis Public Radio: Federal spending cuts have put some Metro East infrastructure projects in a state of uncertainty, including plans to address sewage spilling out of city pipes in Cahokia Heights.
The Republican-controlled Congress eliminated all local project funding from a temporary spending bill passed in March to prevent a government shutdown and fund federal agencies through the end of the fiscal year in September.
U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski, D-Springfield, traveled to Granite City on Tuesday for a private conversation with constituents and public news conference to criticize Republican leaders, who she blamed for the cuts while drawing attention to the impact on local communities.
Budzinski represents Illinois’ 13th District, which includes Cahokia Heights and Granite City as well as other metro-east communities like Belleville and East St. Louis.
“These are projects that had already gone through the appropriations process, had been approved, but we just failed to reach, under Republican leadership, a complete federal budget,” Budzinski told reporters during the news conference.
She was among the mostly Democratic members of Congress who voted against the continuing resolution.
One cut Budzinski highlighted Tuesday was $1,105,800 for Cahokia Heights. City Engineer Sheldon Butler said it would have gone toward separating Cahokia Heights’ sanitary sewer system from East St. Louis’ system to help prevent backups.
“If they have problems, it comes to our side and vice versa,” Butler said during the news conference.