FY2026 Appropriations: What Langworthy 'Secured' vs. What Was Bipartisan

This fact-check documents legitimate Community Project Funding requests secured through the FY2026 appropriations process. It distinguishes between solo House earmarks, joint House–Senate projects, and private investments — and evaluates credit claims accordingly.

Why This Matters for NY-23

Between January 12 and February 4, 2026, Rep. Langworthy announced over $13.9 million in federal funding across 10 separate projects. Many constituents have asked where this money actually comes from — whether it’s from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), Biden-era programs, or something else.

The answer: None of it is IIJA money. These are congressional earmarks — funding that Langworthy specifically requested through the appropriations process. That’s a legitimate form of constituent service. But the full story is more complicated than any single press release reveals:

• 5 of the 10 projects were bipartisan efforts with Senators Schumer and Gillibrand — no one mentions the other side. More than half of the announced funding involved bipartisan Senate participation.
• Several were announced as “DELIVERED” before the bills were signed into law
• One project was renamed from “Community Center” to “Senior Center” in Langworthy’s materials
• One grant’s funding source was never identified in any announcement

This fact-check documents what the public record shows.

How Federal Funding Actually Works

Many readers have asked where this funding comes from. Here’s a quick guide to the different types:

Earmarks (What This Fact-Check Covers)

When both a House CPF and Senate CDS exist for the same project, the funding is inherently bipartisan — no single officeholder can claim sole credit.

Not Earmarks (Previous Fact-Check Covers These)

For the previous pattern of claiming credit for competitive grants, see: Infrastructure: Earmarks vs. Formula Grants

Where to Verify Everything Yourself

The Two Bills

Claim-by-Claim Analysis

1. EPA Water & Sewer Earmarks — $8.48 Million (P.L. 119-74, Division C)

Langworthy requested and received 8 earmarks through the EPA State and Tribal Assistance Grants (STAG) program — 5 through the Clean Water SRF and 3 through the Drinking Water SRF.

The bipartisan reality: Four of these eight earmarks were joint House-Senate efforts. Schumer and Gillibrand submitted matching CDS requests and issued their own press releases (Jan 8-9, 2026). Langworthy announced the same projects days later (Jan 12-15) crediting only himself. Neither side credited the other.

The timing issue: All announcements came before P.L. 119-74 was signed on January 23, 2026. While passage was widely expected given bipartisan support (397-28 in the House), the funding was not law until January 23. The graphics said “SECURED” and “DELIVERED” — past tense — for funding not yet enacted.

2. Newstead Community Center — $5,000,000 (P.L. 119-75, Division D)

Langworthy’s claim: “DELIVERED $5 Million TO CONSTRUCT THE NEWSTEAD SENIOR CENTER”

Verdict: ACCURATE on funding — MISLEADING on sole credit — INACCURATE on project name

This was a bipartisan, bicameral effort. Langworthy submitted the House CPF request; Schumer and Gillibrand submitted matching Senate CDS requests.

The Town Supervisor acknowledges this. In the Gillibrand/Schumer press release (Feb 4, 2026), Dawn D. Izydorczak said: “With the help of Congressman Langworthy, working in a bi-partisan effort with Senator Schumer, the Town will now be able to begin work on a very important project for our community.”

But Langworthy’s same-day press release:

• Claims sole credit: “I was proud to secure this $5 million investment”
• No mention of Schumer or Gillibrand
• Uses a different, shorter quote from the same Town Supervisor — omitting the bipartisan acknowledgment

The contrast: The Senators’ office credited Langworthy by name. Langworthy credited no one.

The naming issue: Langworthy’s graphic says “NEWSTEAD SENIOR CENTER.” The actual project is a 32,000 sq. ft. Community Center serving all ages — seniors (880+ members), youth (350+), and an emergency warming shelter.

3. Elmira College Technology Grant — $480,000 (P.L. 119-74, Division A)

Langworthy’s claim: “I’m proud to deliver this $480,000 grant to Elmira College.”

Verdict: ACCURATE — Langworthy-only earmark, legitimately “secured”

Funding source identified from the CJS CPF table:

• Agency: Department of Commerce
• Account: NIST — Scientific and Technical Research and Services (STRS)
• Requestor: Langworthy (House only, no Senate match)

This is NOT Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act money. This is NOT a Biden-era competitive grant. This IS a congressionally directed earmark that Langworthy personally requested through NIST.

Notable: Neither Langworthy’s press release, Elmira College’s announcement, nor any local news outlet identified the funding agency. Constituents shouldn’t have to dig through appropriations committee PDFs to find out where their federal dollars come from.

4. Siemens Energy / Painted Post — $64 Million

Langworthy’s claim: “Siemens Energy’s $64 million investment in its Painted Post facility is fantastic news for our 23rd Congressional District.”

Verdict: LEGITIMATE — Not a credit claim

This is a private company decision (part of Siemens Energy’s $1 billion U.S. expansion) driven by data center and AI electricity demand. Langworthy is celebrating local economic news, not claiming he caused it. No fact-check issue.

The Complete Bipartisan Picture

This is the most significant finding. Five of ten earmarks were joint efforts — representing $9.25 million, or more than half the total.

Joint House-Senate Earmarks

Langworthy-Only Earmarks

Total Langworthy-only: $4.71M — where sole credit is fully defensible Total joint with Senators: $9.25M — where sole credit is misleading

What Langworthy Gets Right

This should be said clearly: submitting earmark requests is real constituent service. The CPF process requires members to identify local needs, work with municipalities, submit formal requests with justifications, and advocate within the Appropriations Committee. All 10 projects address genuine infrastructure needs in NY-23.

The issue is not that Langworthy takes credit — it’s that he takes sole credit for joint achievements while omitting bipartisan partners, uses “DELIVERED” before bills are signed, and doesn’t identify funding sources clearly enough for constituents to verify his claims.

Questions This Raises

1. In the January–February announcements reviewed here, Langworthy does not mention Schumer or Gillibrand on any joint project. The Senators credited Langworthy in the Newstead case. He credited no one.

2. Why announce as “DELIVERED” before the bill was signed? Announcements began Jan 12; the bill was signed Jan 23.

3. Why doesn’t anyone identify the Elmira College funding source? It took reviewing the CJS CPF table to find it was a NIST/Commerce earmark.

4. Why call the Newstead project a “Senior Center”? It’s a Community Center serving all ages, including youth and serving as an emergency shelter.

5. How does confusion about funding sources benefit officeholders? When constituents can’t tell the difference between earmarks, competitive grants, and IIJA money, anyone can claim credit for anything. (See also: Steuben County: Ten Federal Funding Claims Examined and Infrastructure: Earmarks vs. Formula Grants)

Related Fact-Checks

• Infrastructure: Earmarks vs. Formula Grants — The earlier pattern of claiming competitive grants and IIJA formula funding as personal victories
• Steuben County: Ten Federal Funding Claims Examined — County-level analysis of funding attribution across multiple programs
• “One Year. Real Results.” — Taking credit for economic trends that began before current policies took effect

Sources

CPF Tables (verify earmarks):

• CJS CPF Table (Elmira College)
• Interior & Environment CPF Table (EPA water/sewer)
• THUD CPF Table (Newstead)

CDS Tables (verify Senate matches):

• Interior CDS
• THUD CDS
• All Senate CDS Tables

Member Disclosures:

• Langworthy FY26 Requests
• Gillibrand FY26 CDS Requests
• Schumer CDS Disclosures

Senate Press Releases (matching CDS projects):

• Schumer/Gillibrand: $9+ Million WNY Projects (Newstead) — Feb 4, 2026
• Schumer/Gillibrand: $3.6M WNY Water (Ellicott, Elma) — Jan 9, 2026

Legislative Record:

• H.R. 6938 / P.L. 119-74 — Signed Jan 23, 2026
• H.R. 7148 / P.L. 119-75 — Signed Feb 3, 2026

Local News:

• Olean Times Herald: Randolph sewer
• Elmira College: Federal Funding
• WRFA: Jamestown Stormwater
• Wellsville Sun: Allegany County Gateway

All fact-checks based on publicly available information from Congress.gov, House and Senate Appropriations Committees, official press releases, and local news organizations.

Last updated: February 11, 2026