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Soon after President Donald Trump’s election night victory, Syracuse City Auditor Alexander Marion began to hear from community members who were concerned about the impact of the incoming administration’s budgetary goals on the local community.

The concerns came in response to the new president’s major shifts in budgetary policy from the previous administration. Many in Trump’s inner circles, especially in the newly founded Department of Government Efficiency led by Elon Musk, have accused the federal government of massive overspending. The Tesla CEO has said he will cut at least $2 trillion from the federal budget.

In the past week, the Trump administration has discussed shutting down the U.S. Department of Education as part of its shrinking strategy.

In response, Marion put together a report detailing funds the city receives from the federal government to help city residents understand their community’s relationship to federal funds. Titled “Consequences of Change: Impact of a Changing Federal Landscape on the City of Syracuse,” the report highlights the key programs and organizations in the city that are backed by the federal government.

“I said, ‘I think it’s a good time to look at putting some data behind what the impact of the federal government in our community is,’” Marion said.

While the report is not a comprehensive list of every federal dollar coming into the city, it reveals the key government support in infrastructure, community development, housing and public safety. Marion said any cuts to infrastructure spending would be the most harmful to the city.

“That infrastructure money is literally how we build our community,” he said.

The city’s transformative I-81 project has been largely supported by federal funds. Of the over $2.6 billion in estimated total costs for the revitalization of the East Adams Neighborhood, roughly $2 billion comes from the federal government through various grants and programs, according to the report.

Along with I-81, other projects receiving federal support include improvements to roads and walkways, as well as bridge renovations and new traffic signals, according to the report. With various city projects in progress and more scheduled, Marion expressed concern about Trump’s plans for infrastructure spending.

“They have made clear that they are an administration that has been hostile to infrastructure funding. They are an administration that is hostile to public transportation funding,” Marion said. “They are not interested in building communities.”

In his first 24 hours in office, Trump announced up to $500 billion in private investments to build infrastructure — such as data centers — necessary for artificial intelligence development.

In community development and housing, the federal government’s plans remain largely unclear. Local organizations like Home HeadQuarters, a non-profit for housing and community development, have had to pivot as future federal funds remain uncertain.

Hannah Mesa | Design Editor

Karen Schroeder, HHQ’s chief communications officer, emphasized the necessity of federal funding in a housing market with prices continuing to skyrocket.

“Affordable housing is going to become one of those issues for so many more of us,” Schroeder said. “It is not just going to be a low-income issue going forward.”

HHQ relies on federal funding like the Community Development Block Grant, which supports low-income communities, for services they provide in Syracuse. One example is the Closing Cost Assistance Program, which helps qualified first-time home buyers with loans to help close on buying a house. Another HHQ resource, the Syracuse Homeowner Assistance Program, provides grants to locals to make emergency repairs to their homes in the event of unexpected damage.

The CDBG program is one of the biggest sources of federal funding coming into Syracuse, according to the report, and HHQ is one of its biggest beneficiaries. As part of each “award” given to the city, Syracuse also recoups a 20% administrative fee. The report says it has become “an important source of revenue” for the city government.

Schroeder said that because of the city’s lead water crisis and high child poverty rates, any cuts to funding would have massive consequences on a budget already stretched too thin.

“There’s not enough houses. There’s not enough quality houses without environmental problems. Rents are ridiculous,” Schroeder said. “So I think without these funds, you’re impacting the economy in different ways.

While the Trump administration hasn’t made clear if housing programs like CDBG will be impacted by cuts, the Jan. 27 executive order pausing federal loans and grants caused confusion for HHQ and other groups across the country, even as the order was repeatedly blocked by a federal judge.

Schroeder said there wasn’t panic at HHQ because of the bipartisan support the organization has cultivated over the years in central New York. She said the order demonstrated her belief that budget increases, not cuts, are necessary for organizations in housing and community development.

“Oftentimes we’re the lender of last resort. We’re the last thing keeping somebody in their home,” Schroeder said. “Or we’re the last gasp for a house that would otherwise be torn down … This is a national issue. It’s not just a Syracuse issue.”

Both Schroeder and Marion agreed that any cuts made would have a large impact on Syracuse, especially as the city has already been operating on a budget deficit of over $25 million, according to city records.

The city auditor’s office is recommending that the city’s Common Council establish an annual report detailing the total amount of federal dollars coming in and how they’re being spent. The council has not yet released information on whether the recommendation will be implemented.

While there’s been no indication from the Trump administration that cuts would be made to public safety services, Marion said if Syracuse locals want to protect those employees or others reliant on federal dollars, they must make their voices heard.

“Call your representatives on the federal level, and even on the local level, to make sure that they are prioritizing advocating for these types of programs,” Marion said. “Because when your elected leaders know what matters to you, they’ll know what they have to go fight for.”

Published on February 10, 2025 at 11:20 pm