Some in the audience fear federal funds before Trump takes office

“Times have changed dramatically and we need to be alert and aware of that,” said former state transportation secretary Jim Aloisi. “The Trump administration won’t be particularly interested in doing favors for our congressional delegation or our governor,” but might be more sympathetic to businesses in the state, he said.

Aloisi said Massachusetts should consider planning alternative funding sources, such as adding tolls to infrastructure projects.

Both Governor Maura Healey and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu were in Washington, D.C. last week To discuss federal funding with officials there. (They also attended the White House celebration for the 2024 champion Boston Celtics.)

Leaving a meeting with Healey on Capitol Hill, Boston Rep. Stephen Lynch warned that the state had federal money that was “unencumbered.” . . “The checks have not been cleared yet.”

“We don’t want this to remain in limbo,” Lynch said, warning that the Trump administration “might try to cut back, try to withdraw the money.”

In a brief interview, Healey said only that “I certainly hope they don’t” try to recover money that was already tagged for Massachusetts.

Healey’s new office Quentin Palfrey, Healey’s director of federal funds and infrastructure, said his administration was moving “as quickly as possible” to make sure it completed federally funded efforts before a new Trump presidency introduced “some risks.” It was created to help Massachusetts compete for federal dollars. Palfrey said that under the Healey administration, the state secured $9 billion from the federal government through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the CHIPS and Science Act, signing off on President Biden’s spending efforts.

Although it is too early to make a definitive prediction, Some in Massachusetts fear the state may never see funding on this scale again; especially with Elon Musk, whom Trump appointed to lead a new advisory panel. We aim to reduce 2 trillion dollars in federal spending.

“There’s a transition at the federal level, and that obviously means we need to move these projects forward quickly,” Palfrey said. “We are working hard to protect the gains we have made.”

In Boston, Wu ambitious climate agenda relied on federal grants We supported everything from purchasing electric school buses to workforce training. A spokesman for Wu said the city reviews the status of each federal grant and “cannot fully predict how federal funding may change” under the Trump administration.

Billions of dollars now flow from Washington to Massachusetts each year for programs ranging from Medicaid to food stamps.

The bulk of federal money flows to states and cities through an automated system based on complex formulas set by Congress; It is a difficult process to change without the approval of legislators. These include funds like highway funds that are needed for both red and blue states, and Congress is unlikely to cut them.

The most visible at the moment is discretionary funding based on competitive grants. The risk for Massachusetts under a Trump presidency. Few expect the Trump-led government to hand over federal money dollars. climate change adaptations for example, on the scale that Biden has.

Doug Howgate, president of the watchdog group Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, said federal funds are too important to go without.

“The order of magnitude between state and federal resources is so large that it is important for people to understand that Massachusetts does not have the capacity to replace federal dollars,” Howgate said.

Still, he said that the state should prepare for a new era.

“When administrations change, priorities change,” he said. “Never assume you have cash until you have it. Never assume that something that seems certain is necessarily a certain thing.”

A particularly prominent project that relies on federal funds: replacing aging Cape Cod bridges. State officials say they have already secured More than $1.71 billion federal funding for the project and members of the Massachusetts Congressional delegation to believe The financing obtained with great efforts for the first bridge, the project years after completion.

“There is no expectation that these funds are in danger,” the representative said. Representing the Cape is Bill Keating. And they said Massachusetts Democrats are prepared to fight for it if anything threatens that funding.

“The law clearly shows that the money was appropriated, encumbered, and effectively lost,” Senator Elizabeth Warren told the Globe earlier this month. “I realize Donald Trump doesn’t believe the laws apply to him, but we want to make sure they do.”

Yet for some, there can be no guarantees under Trump. Aloisi stated that financing for projects such as bridges works through repayment, meaning that the funds spent on the project are paid back to the state instead of paying the money upfront, further increasing the uncertainty.

“It’s like, ‘Here’s a check!’ not like. It’s like, “No, you do the work and then we’ll pay you back,” Aloisi said. Aloisi added that it couldn’t have happened without debate, but “they could easily say we’re getting a re-evaluation of the grants now.”

The incoming Trump administration has also created uncertainty for projects that still need financing, including the second Cape Bridge.

David Tamasi, a Cape Cod native and longtime Republican lobbyist at Chartwell Strategy Group, said despite the change in administration, “the sky is not falling” for Massachusetts. He predicted that the narrow split in the House of Representatives would mean Republicans and Democrats would have to work together on spending bills.

Still, finding money for the Cape Cod bridge project will be more complicated under Trump than it was with Biden in the White House.

“That doesn’t mean it can’t happen,” Tamasi said. “But this will require skillful advocacy from the panel and various stakeholders.”

Elsewhere in the state, State Senator Joanne Comerford has been pushing for years restore rail service Boston is located along the northern edge of Massachusetts, between Greenfield and North Adams, where trains carried passengers until the mid-20th century.

The effort is still in its early stages, but Comerford acknowledged that obtaining the necessary federal funds will be “more complicated” because we will have a Trump administration.

“I would have to be sleeping so I wouldn’t worry,” Comerford said. Still, he said: “We don’t need an immediate return. We can expect a hostile administration. “We could consider incremental approaches.”

Gail Latimore, executive director of the Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corporation in Boston. He said his community organization is heavily dependent on federal dollars, and that worries him.

He said he’s still waiting for word on a federal grant that would support green improvements for affordable housing.

“If you have an administration that doesn’t believe in climate change, a lot of jobs are at risk,” Latimore said. He said his organization may have to turn to more states, cities or philanthropic sources.

Perhaps the only guarantee: Expect changes when Trump takes office.

“All we can do right now is play the hand we have,” Howgate said. And he added with a laugh: “Make sure we have a backup plan.”

Globe staff Tal Kopan and Jim Puzzanghera contributed to this report.

Emma Platoff can be reached at [email protected]. follow him @emmaplatoff.