Congress·In Committee·S. 3504

Senate bill targets grants for roads, utilities, and safety upgrades near U.S. land border crossings

Strong Ports, Strong Communities Act

3 months ago·View on Congress.gov

Legislative Progress

Senate

House

President

Law

Key Points

This bill lets the Department of Homeland Security give grants to states, tribes, towns, and certain local utilities to fix local infrastructure tied to land border crossings.
Projects can include roads and traffic fixes, water and wastewater systems, power and communications, and other upgrades within 25 miles of a land border crossing.
Money can also go toward things like stronger border security at crossings, emergency readiness, and reducing pollution or other community problems caused by heavy border traffic.
Most projects must cover at least 30% of the cost with non-federal money, but rural places (under 100,000 people) or security-critical projects could get that reduced or waived.
Communities may be able to get reimbursed for eligible projects they already paid for going back to November 15, 2021, with the federal share up to 70% in many cases.

InfrastructureTransportationNational SecurityTradeEnvironment

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

How this policy affects specific groups of people

Mixed Impacts(1)

Tribal Member

Neutral

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

Dec 16, 2025Senate

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

Dec 16, 2025

Introduced in Senate

What Happens Next

Projected impacts based on AI analysis

Within about 6–12 months after Congress funds the program

Grant rules and a standard process for picking projects get written and rolled out

Communities near land border crossings would start to see clear instructions on what projects qualify and how to apply, which is the first step before any construction money can flow.

After rules are published; likely within 1 year of funding

States, Tribal governments, cities, counties, and eligible utilities submit project requests

Local leaders would begin lining up projects like road changes, water and sewer upgrades, or power reliability fixes near the port. Residents may notice planning meetings, engineering work, and early traffic changes.

Once the grant program is running and appropriated funds are available

Some communities seek repayment for eligible projects started on or after Nov 15, 2021

If a local government or eligible utility already spent money on a qualifying project, it could be paid back for part of that cost (often up to 70%). That can free up local dollars for other needs or reduce pressure to raise local rates or taxes.