State and federal politicians have spent the past seven months lobbing accusations back and forth about how federal policy will hurt those who depend on federal programs.

But last week we were reminded again that often, the thing that hurts local residents the most is politics itself.

At issue is funding to dredge parts of the Chadakoin River as well as wetlands near Jones and Gifford Avenue. Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-23, has secured funding in the 2025 Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (H.R. 8998) that passed the House. The funding then evaporated.

At first glance one would think it evaporated as part of federal spending cuts. And, given the current environment that would make sense. But the real culprit is politics.

As Langworthy pointed out last week in response to a report that the funding had been rescinded, the spending was supported by Republicans. But there was no agreement with Senate Democrats that was needed to move H.R. 8998 through the Senate – meaning a continuing resolution was used to keep prior programs operating but preventing the creation of a new program.

The wetlands and Chadakoin dredging project isn’t a life or death bill. Waiting another year doesn’t hurt much. But the confusion over what happened to the EPA funding should serve as a good reminder for local residents that federal politics are rarely as straightforward as they sometimes appear. The legislative process in Washington is complicated at the best of times. It gets even more difficult when one side or the other digs in its heels as appears to have happened with Democrats and H.R. 8998.

There are a lot of concerns over what’s happening in Washington, D.C., right now in the wake of President Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill.’ Let the EPA funding for the Chadakoin River being delayed another year be a reminder that there’s a lot of of problems in Washington – and both parties’ unwillingness to negotiate on tough issues when they’re in the minority is the granddaddy of them all.