Local governments are trying to figure out the impact from cuts in the recently passed federal budget.
The one thing Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon said he's sure of is that the cumulative effect of cuts means a leaner county budget.
"You know we’re going to have to tighten our belts," McMahon said.
The biggest hit he expects the county to take comes from cuts in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP.
"One thing that I can concretely say will impact us is that the administrative cost shift from the federal government, we partner with the federal government on that. So we're going to take a hit on that."
Onondaga County will have to cover three million dollars, about a quarter of its entire SNAP budget, and McMahon expects it to affect the county budget late in 2026.
The City of Syracuse is also expecting a big financial hit, potentially from the loss of a major federal grant to pay for enhancements for the East Adams Street project that’s part of the teardown of the 81 viaduct.
Mayor Ben Walsh says the Reconnecting Communities Grant is worth $30 million.
"That is gravely at risk," he said. "We're working very hard to determine its exact status and do what we can do to advocate to maintain it."
Other than that, Walsh says it’s unknown if the city will lose other Washington dollars, like Community Development Block grants that pay for programs for the city’s most vulnerable residents.
"But until we know we're going to continue to operate and conduct business as usual. But we're concerned. We're paying close attention. We're in almost daily contact with our federal representatives."
McMahon agrees it’s a wait and see game for many of the funds local governments have come to depend on.
"Like anything, we'll look at how important that work is to our countywide mission," he said. "And if there's ways that we can supplement that, we'll try to do that."
