This year’s congressional earmarks came through in part because President Trump "wasn’t even paying attention." That's according to U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M), who spoke after touring Saranam, a transitional housing facility located in northwest Albuquerque for families experiencing homelessness.
"That was a bipartisan deal that was cut [in January] by Congress while the president was bombing Venezuela," said Stansbury, "so he just let the budget bills go through."
Even so, the Republican majority only appropriated $1.35 million of the $4.7 million Stansbury requested in FY2026 for housing and homelessness grants. For that reason, she says earmark proposals — formally known as Community Project Funding grants — work best when the projects they fund can start small and grow.
Still, it's unclear how Bernalillo County's will build a new shelter for seniors who are experiencing homelessness after receiving only half of the $1.7 million requested.
Much clearer is how the New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority, which requested $1 million, can use the $250,000 it received to purchase and rehabilitate transitional housing for vulnerable families in crisis.
"The more dollars you have," said Stansbury, "the more homes you can fix."
Where the federal government is failing in addressing homelessness and affordable housing, Stansbury said state legislators can advance housing policies and cities should change local zoning laws, which is one of the biggest impediments to building affordable housing.
"So watch out, City Council," said Stansbury, "because... we want to make sure that we're advocating for the policies that need to change to make sure that our families can get into housing."
Before leaving the Saranam facility, Stansbury emphasized that anyone in a community — not just county or municipal governments — can make Community Project Funding grant proposals to their congressional representative.
"We will accept any proposal that comes through," said Stansbury. "We'll help you get your proposal in shape so that it can go through the appropriations process, but we have to actually have proposals to work with."
The application process for a Community Project Funding grant may vary slightly between Congressional offices, but the steps to submit proposals always include contacting the U.S. Representative’s office.
