U.S. Representative Earl L. “Buddy” Carter today announced the Biden Administration abandoned a controversial proposal that could have negatively impacted fifteen communities across the State of Georgia including Brunswick and Hinesville.
The move comes after Carter joined more than 50 Members of Congress to oppose a plan to expand the threshold for a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). While a statistical designation may seem insignificant, Carter says the change would’ve had a huge impact on affected communities.
“This is good news not just for our area but for communities across the country,” Carter said. “Federal agencies routinely use MSAs when considering funding for projects ranging from transportation to housing to health care. We already struggle to ensure smaller communities compete against big cities so losing this tool could’ve cost our area hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding.”
The Biden Administration announced it was abandoning its plans to change the definition in guidance released late Tuesday by the Office of Management and Budget citing the public comment period during which many expressed concerns along the lines of Carter’s.
The Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Area Standards Review Committee, which originally proposed the change in January of this year, will next review the guidance in 2030.
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