El Paso will once again see a round of ambitious community projects thanks to an infusion of $19 million in federal funds.
U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar recently announced 15 projects included in a package of appropriations bills aimed at everything from improving water services, providing better housing for service members and expanding food assistance services.
The community project funding process is a reworked version of the earlier earmarks, which Escobar said were often misused by members of Congress. The new process, revamped for greater transparency, allows organizations and local governments from communities across the country to apply for funding.
“It is highly competitive,” Escobar, D-El Paso, said during a news conference Friday, April 5. “There is obviously a lot of need in the community and it is really difficult to make some of these decisions, picking one project over another, because they are all so worthy … “
And while Escobar lauded the funding as a win for El Paso, she noted the uphill battle she and other congressional Democrats faced in securing funding for their communities.
