Chinatown Stitch could lose federal funding amid Trump war on policies that promote racial equity
Federal funding could be at risk for the long-sought project to reconnect the community divided by the trench of the Vine Street Expressway.
Federal funding could be at risk for Philadelphia’s Chinatown Stitch, a long-sought project to reconnect a community divided by the trench of the Vine Street Expressway.
House Republicans last week proposed slashing $3.2 billion in “unobligated” money from a Biden administration program aimed at mitigating damage to neighborhoods caused by past U.S. transportation projects, many of which are home to people of color.
The project could be delayed, depending on the outcome of the multistep budget process in Congress.
“We’re sort of at their mercy,” said 1st District Councilmember Mark Squilla, who represents Chinatown.
“Nothing is cut at this point — there haven’t been any votes — and we’re going to continue to move forward,” he said.
Trump’s approach
Republicans who control the House and Senate are using a “reconciliation” procedure that speeds up the budget process, allowing votes on a proposal written by the congressional leadership, without detailed hearings by appropriations committees and other usual steps.
President Donald Trump has pushed for the approach, which also eliminates the chance for Senate Democrats to filibuster passage of the budget. Trump’s 2017 tax cuts are set to expire Sept. 30 if not renewed. He also has proposed expanding the tax cuts.
“While House Republicans are putting important infrastructure funding for Philadelphia and the nation at risk to fund another round of tax cuts for the wealthiest, I and my House Democratic colleagues will keep fighting to protect this funding — and to restore it if that becomes necessary,” said Rep. Dwight Evans (D., Pa.) of Northwest Philadelphia.
Evans was among the House members who proposed a transportation-equity program, which was later incorporated in Biden administration legislation.
Progress on the Stitch
City officials are holding community “pop-up” meetings to gather opinions before releasing a design proposal later this year.
In March 2024, the Chinatown Stitch was awarded a $158 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation under the Neighborhood Equity and Access program.
The project received $4 million for planning in 2023, with a $1.8 million federal grant and $2.2 million in matching funds from the city, PennDot, and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
Not dead yet
The Biden administration awarded grants to 100 projects reconnecting communities around the country, but the awards are classified as “unobligated” if there wasn’t a final project agreement, effectively a contract, between local governments and the U.S. Department of Transportation.
An analysis of public data by the nonpartisan advocacy group Transportation for America found no final agreements logged for 78% of the projects during the transition to the Trump administration.
“This means that the vast majority of these projects with existing funding announcements are at risk of having their funding taken away,” Transportation for America said.
Squilla said he’s optimistic that the Chinatown Stitch will survive, saying “on its merits, it’s a good project.” If it does lose some or all of its federal funding, he said, “we’d have to look for any other grant opportunities,” not tied to the federal government."