The future of Army Corps projects along the Texas Gulf Coast, like the overhaul of flood control systems around Houston and the widening of the Houston Ship Channel, are in question after House Republicans on Tuesday passed a stopgap funding bill to keep the government open through September. 

Their bill calls for reducing the Army Corps of Engineers' construction budget by $1.4 billion, a 44% cut. In addition, the White House would assume control over which projects get funded, decisions that are currently made by Congress.

The bill nows moves to the U.S. Senate, where Republicans must win over at least seven Democrats to clear the 60-vote threshold needed to consider the measure. To avoid a government shutdown, Congress must pass a spending bill by the end of Friday.

Public officials and contractors in Texas are scrambling to figure out what the possible Army Corps cuts could mean for their projects, said Rep. Lizzie Fletcher, D-Houston. 

"It's anyones guess what the Trump administration will do, but that’s a huge part of the problem. It’s the chaos and uncertainty continuously coming out of this administration," she said. "The port project is hugely important not only to our regional economy but our national security."

A spokeswoman for Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Richmond, denied the $1.4 billion reduction in Army Corps spending was a "cut," saying the department's previous year's budget had been inflated due to the injection of funds from other legislation.

"These funds were expended for a one-time purpose. So, no, House Republicans are not cutting any funds for the Army Corps of Engineers," she said.

The continuing resolution passed by House Republicans on Tuesday calls for a $13 billion reduction in non-defense spending and a $6 billion increase in defense spending — relatively small amounts considering the $6.8 trillion federal budget. It passed in a narrow 217-213 vote, with the Texas delegation split along party lines.

As Democrats opposed the bill, House Speaker Mike Johnson was still working to drum up enough GOP support to pass the measure hours ahead of the vote.

On Tuesday morning, a number of Texas Republicans, including Reps. Tony Gonzales of San Antonio and Beth Van Duyne of Irving, were uncommitted, Politico reported. They ultimately voted in favor. 

Reps. Chip Roy of San Antonio and Dan Crenshaw of Houston had been urging colleagues to back the resolution.

"I’m supporting the CR because voting ‘no’ and causing a government shutdown would immediately halt all Army Corps projects," Crenshaw said Tuesday. "This bill keeps the lights on in those project rooms right now, and we’ll continue backing projects like these in the Houston area.”

The Houston Ship Channel expansion, which is needed to allow larger ships and tankers to access the port of Houston, still requires over $100 million in funding, Fletcher said. 

And the Army Corps continues to study how to overhaul Houston's flood control systems after the damage inflicted during Hurricane Harvey. Last year, Reps. Fletcher and Wesley Hunt, R-Houston, convinced members to include language included in a spending bill to order completion of that study by the end of this year.

Hunt did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday. 

Democrats fought to pass an alternate stop gap bill, arguing the Republican bill would not only cut programs for low-income Americans and Army Corps projects but it would allow President Donald Trump and Texas bill to cut thousands of workers from the Social Security Administration, which provides financial support to seniors.

"This continuing resolution is a blank check for Elon Musk and creates more flexibility for him to steal from the middle class, seniors, veterans, working people, small businesses, and farmers to pay for tax breaks for billionaires,” Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., ranking member on the House Appropriations Committee, said in a statement Saturday.

View this article on Houston Chronicle.