WASHINGTON -- Federal appropriations legislation signed into law this week by President Trump includes $850,000 in earmarked funding for the YMCA project in Great Mills, Maryland, marking the second consecutive $850,000 congressional earmark sponsored by U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen and Sen. Angela Alsobrooks to support the community facility, bringing the total federal investment to $1.7 million.
The funding was included in the fiscal year 2026 appropriations package, a set of annual spending bills that Congress passed in late 2025 to keep the federal government funded through the end of the fiscal year. The package was approved by the House and Senate following negotiations to end the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history and was signed into law by the president on Nov. 12, 2025.
The earmark is part of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026, enacted as part of the FY 2026 appropriations laws, which contains congressionally directed spending for community projects in Maryland and across the country. In committee reports accompanying that bill, lawmakers listed $850,000 for the YMCA Great Mills project under the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Community Development Fund, at the request of U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer and Sens. Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks.
The YMCA project, located in Lexington Park in St. Mary's County, is planned as a multiuse community recreation and wellness center with amenities including a gym, fitness areas, exercise studios, locker rooms, meeting space and more. Local officials and state funding partners have highlighted the facility as a key resource for health, youth development and community engagement.
At a 2024 county event announcing early budget approval for the YMCA project, officials credited the federal delegation, including Sens. Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Rep. Hoyer, for shepherding federal support for the initiative. Community leaders said this backing was crucial to advancing the facility's long-term goals.
The new appropriations law will now allow the federal government to release funds to local grantees for construction planning and execution. Project leaders in St. Mary's County are expected to incorporate the federal dollars into broader funding strategies alongside state, local and private contributions.
The BayNet will continue to follow progress on the Great Mills YMCA project and provide updates as construction advances, including milestones and projected opening dates, as information becomes available.