Connecticut will receive tens of millions of dollars in federal funding for local projects, marking the first time in two years that states will benefit from earmarked funding for infrastructure initiatives, affordable housing development and education. The state’s congressional delegation secured a combined total of more than $190 million to support over 175 projects in their districts and statewide. Dozens of towns and cities will see a windfall in federal funding whether for fire house renovations, police training, boosts for museums or transportation projects. The funding — formerly known as earmarks — was tucked into spending packages that Congress passed in both November and February to fund most of the government through September. Several of Connecticut’s earmark requests, worth more than $10 million, however, are still tied up in the embattled bill to fund the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Those seem unlikely to materialize amid ongoing negotiations. During each annual appropriations cycle, lawmakers can make requests to steer money to their states and districts. But those dollars don’t become a reality if Congress can’t pass full-year spending bills and instead rely on short-term continuing resolutions, which have become the norm in recent years.

https://ctmirror.org/2026/02/11/ct-secures-about-190-million-in-earmarks-from-federal-bills/