Huffman, Bay Area Lawmakers Urge Trump Admin to Release Funding for San Francisco Bay Wildlife Refuge Complex

Huffman, Bay Area Lawmakers Urge Trump Admin to Release Funding for San Francisco Bay Wildlife Refuge Complex

Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Representative Jared Huffman (CA-02), alongside other Bay Area lawmakers, urged the Trump administration to release millions of dollars of Congressionally approved funds for San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex (Complex), which have been subject to bureaucratic delay at the U.S. Department of Interior.

The San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex is an important part of the National Wildlife Refuge System, and in December 2022 and January 2023 experienced severe winter storm damage to its berms, levees, and pump stations that are critical to the Fish and Wildlife Service's ability to protect Bay Area communities from flooding and manage and restore natural habitats.

The lawmakers expressed deep concern that the Complex has yet to receive the full $70 million allocated to them as a part of the 2025 American Relief Act, funding that is crucial to addressing winter storm damage and preventing future flooding in Northern California.

"We understand that most of these funds have not been released to the Refuge Complex. Further, we understand that the Department of the Interior is requiring any expense action over $50,000 to be approved by various Assistant Secretaries within the Department. This bureaucratic delay is unnecessary and inefficient, especially for dollars that were appropriated by Congress for major disasters three years ago," the lawmakers wrote.

"We urgently request that you release these funds Congress has appropriated to the Complex to address storm damage and emergency repairs, protect adjacent communities and highways from flooding, and protect important Silicon Valley communities," the lawmakers continued.

In addition to Huffman, this letter is also signed by Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif. And Representatives Ro Khanna (D-Calif.-17), John Garamendi (D-Calif.-08), Kevin Mullin (D-Calif.-15), and Sam Liccardo (D-Calif.-16).

The full text of the letter can be found here.

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