US House passes funds for Peninsula

Legislation still needs support in US Senate

Nearly $18 million for Washington’s 6th Congressional district has cleared the U.S. House and is awaiting approval from the U.S. Senate.

The U.S. House passed the final appropriations package for fiscal year 2026 on Jan. 22. Included was $17.9 million for 15 critical infrastructure and community projects across the district, according to a news release from the office of U.S. Rep. Emily Randall, D-Port Orchard.

“My district is made up of six incredible counties — each with its own opportunities and challenges,” Randall said in the news release. “From Neah Bay to Aberdeen, and Tacoma to Bremerton, every community deserves investments that meet them where they are.”

The appropriation bills included every project Randall’s office submitted, according to the news release.

The funding is not yet guaranteed, however. The appropriations bills must pass the U.S. Senate by Friday night, according to staff for U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Seattle.

Murray spoke about the appropriations bills on the Senate floor Wednesday.

“There are two simple truths here,” Murray said. “One, there is absolutely no reason for a shutdown. Five of the bills before us — covering 95 percent of the remaining budget — everyone agrees we can pass. And two, after the horrific killing of Alex Pretti last weekend, after so many vile, shameless lies from Trump officials, and after the flagrant abuses we have seen from ICE and CBP agents, it is painfully — and brutally — clear this out-of-control department must be reined in, and Congress must take action to make that happen.”

Murray and other Senate Democrats are trying to get the Homeland Security funding bill — which would not fund any of Washington’s 6th District projects — separated from the remaining appropriations bills for an individual vote.

“Let’s pass the five bills ahead of the Friday deadline, and let’s focus separately on DHS, where it is clear that accountability and reform cannot wait,” Murray said. “We do this all the time — move forward on the areas where we have an agreement — and keep negotiating on the others. That’s what needs to happen here and now.”

The projects which are slated to receiving funding in Clallam County include:

• $1 million for Olympic Medical Center’s Telehealth Expansion Project: The Clallam County Public Hospital District 2 has requested federal funding to expand telehealth services to rural and remote communities countywide.

• $850,000 for Tse-whit-zen Protection Area Restoration: The Port of Port Angeles has requested the funding to restore more than 6 acres of port-owned land to remove derelict infrastructure from the site and return it to a non-industrial condition. The project also increases the size of preservation-ready space at Tse-whit-zen that can qualify for state and federal historic property designations. If received, a historic property designation could bring additional investments and tourism activity to Port Angeles.

• $1.2 million for the Makah Housing Resilience Project: The tribe has requested federal funding to construct durable high-quality housing that supports long-term community stability and essential service retention. Neah Bay is facing a severe housing shortage with 80-100 applicants currently on housing waiting lists. That directly impacts the tribe’s ability to recruit and retain qualified personnel for critical services, including health care providers, law enforcement officers, emergency responders and teachers and staff in the Cape Flattery School District.

Jefferson County

• $3.15 million for the Hoh Tribe Resiliency Center: The tribe will construct an evacuation and community center in Forks to protect residents in the event of extreme weather or tsunami. About 90 percent of the developed and residential area is in a flood zone. The tribe has had 26 disaster events occur over the last approximately 20 years.

• $1 million for Jefferson Healthcare’s Patient Imaging Project: The hospital plans to construct a new patient imaging project to service rural communities in south Jefferson County.

Grays Harbor County

• $1,145,144 for Southern End Erosion Project for the city of Ocean Shores to help protect the city’s stormwater drainage system against threats of erosion.

• $1 million for Transforming Healthcare for the Harbor so Grays Harbor Community Hospital in Aberdeen can replace Harbor Regional Health’s outdated 1992 records system with a modern, cloud-based electronic medical record.

• $1.015 million for Quinault Indian Nation Fire Station Construction so the Quinault Indian Nation in Taholah can construct a fire station.

Kitsap County

• $1.092 million for the Central Kitsap Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrade so Kitsap County can retrofit its 45-year-old wastewater treatment system.

• $1,736,255 for a Community Respite Center so the Kitsap County Department of Human Services can provide transitional, respite housing for people recently discharged from hospitals who are experiencing homelessness.

• $850,000 for the Washington State Ferries Southworth Terminal Redevelopment to replace the terminal building, improve passenger and transit circulation and help replace the timber trestle structure.

Mason County

• $1,145,144 for the Jorstad Substation Grid Resilience Project so Mason County PUD 1 can construct a substation in Lilliwaup.

• $238,000 to the Turning Pointe Survivor Advocacy Center for essential domestic violence shelter services for safety and self-sufficiency.

Pierce County

• $500,000 to the city of Fife for 54th Avenue East and Taylor Way corridor improvements.

• $2 million to Northwest Seaport Alliance for the Husky Terminal and Washington United Terminal berth deepening project on the Blair Waterway.

________

Reporter Emily Hanson can be reached by email at emily.hanson@peninsuladailynews.com.

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