The citizens of St. George, the first major stop for travelers leaving Las Vegas as they head into Utah, are “heartbroken” that Donald Trump clawed back a grant that was targeted at relieving a major traffic issue that has plagued the town for years.
Adding insult to injury, Politico’s Chris Marquette and Sam Ogozalek are reporting that voters in Washington County, where St. George is situated, voted “overwhelmingly” for Trump, handing him 75.2 percent of the vote in 2024.
As part of a Politico report on towns that have lost promised federal funds under the budget bill signed into law by Trump in July, fast-growing St. George stands out as one of the biggest losers.
At issue was $87.6 million that was to be used to alleviate traffic pressure caused by an interstate highway that splits the town.
According to Jimmie Hughes, a Republican City Council member in St. George, “There’s a 2-mile stretch of that highway where you can’t get through,” adding that the project “really was an answer to a lot of congestion. It’s a little bit heartbreaking, but we’re not giving up.”
Rep. Celeste Maloy (R-UT), whose district includes St. George, did not respond to questions about the grant loss which occurred, in part, because she voted to pass the controversial budget bill that she, at the time, claimed contained “many wins for Utah.”
Locals still hope to move forward with the project, although it will likely be scaled back, with Kevin Kitchen, a spokesperson for the Utah Department of Transportation, admitting, “It is too early to determine the details of what that will look like without the $87.6 million.”