City of Pismo Beach
Federal Legislative Update
2025 Review & Look Ahead
Greg BurnsThorn Run Partners
PRESIDENT TRUMP 2.0 ADMINISTRATION
Executive Orders
210 Executive Orders signed (as of early November)
150+ lawsuits filed
31 EO’s permanently blocked, 86 temporarily blocked, and 21 blocked pending appeal Passage of One Big Beautiful Bill Act
Primarily an extension of 2017 Trump 1.0 era tax cuts + new cuts for businesses and individuals Federal Government Shutdown
Lasted 43 days
House out of session for 53 days
FEDERAL FUNDING
Fiscal Year 2026 Funding Process
Pismo Beach and SLOCOG project supported by Carbajal; funded in House THUD bill $2 million for the Shell Beach Road Path
Congress passed 3 of 12 appropriations bills to fund the government for FY 2026 Positive sign that they can finish additional bills
2 of the 3 full-year bills include community funded projects, like those for Pismo Beach and SLOCOG
EXPIRATION OF THE BIL
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, incl. surface transportation programs expire September 30, 2026 BIL was a roughly $1.2 trillion, 5- year law passed in November 2021 ~$650 billion was for surface transportation authorization ~$550 billion was spending for transportation and other programs New bill will have far less money
Fewer competitive programs, more money directly to state DOT’s for traditional highway programs Potential for less support for transit
FEMA REFORM
FEMA traditionally approves federal support after disasters based on amount of damage compared to population Proposed increase to disaster declaration per capita threshold for entire state, from $1.89 to $7.56 per person Minimum damage threshold for CA would now be more than $298M Smaller disasters will be left to states and local governments 71% of disasters nationwide from 2008 - 2024 would not have qualified $41B in disaster assistance would have been shifted to state and local governments Federal cost shares should not exceed 75%
Deny Category G – recreational facilities PA funding for “non-critical facilities” Admin says this would have saved $3.2 billion over the past decade No new Hazard Mitigation Grant Program money
HMGP $$$ traditionally = 15% of the amount FEMA will spend on a disaster FEMA Review Council report was supposed to be released on Dec. 11; opportunity to comment upon release
FEMA REFORM
OTHER ADVOCACY EFFORTS
Outer Continental Oil & Gas Drilling
Tax Exempt Bond authority maintained
Telecom preemption
HOUSING ISSUES
ROAD to Housing Act
Reduce regulatory barriers
Incentivize housing development near transit
Streamline permitting
Expand financing for affordable and workforce housing
New grant and incentive programs tied to housing outcomes House also looking to HOME Program changes
Homelessness Funding
Major changes to the Continuum of Care program
Less emphasis on permanent supportive housing
Permanent Expansion of Low-Income Housing Tax Credit via OBBBA
CITY OF PISMO BEACH 2026 FEDERAL AGENDA
•Central Coast Blue & Infrastructure
•Coastal Erosion and Resilience
•Vandenberg Space Force Base
•Emergency Services Support, Emergency Management Reform, and Wildfire and the Wildland Urban Interface •Emergency Services Support -- Firefighters
•Emergency Services Support – Police
•Federal Emergency Management Agency Reform
•Wildfire and the Wildland Urban Interface
•Energy Issues
•Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant
•Oil & Gas Exploration
•Offshore Wind Development
•Land and Water Conservation Fund; Open Space Opportunities & Park Amenities •Endangered Species Act Issues; Designation of Critical Habitat for the Monarch Butterfly •Community Development Block Grant Program
CITY OF PISMO BEACH FEDERAL ADVOCACY SUCCESSES
•More than $20 Million Secured
•Central Coast Blue
•Army Corps of Engineers seawall construction
•water reservoir improvements
•public safety communication towers
•other projects
•Consistent engagement on legislative & regulatory issues