While the Republican party is preparing to unveil a slimmed-down budget plan next week, Rep. Don Young is back in Alaska assuring state legislators that he’s working to bring as many federal dollars to the state as possible.

At a closed-door meeting with legislators on Thursday, Young fielded questions on Environmental Protection Agency regulations and the shrinking of Eielson Air Force Base. But at a press conference later that day, he said state legislators are especially concerned about getting funding for local projects, since Congress and the president have adopted a policy of keeping earmarks out of bills. Young said that restriction has put federal lawmakers in a tough place when it comes to getting money for their districts.

“Everybody realized that they made a mistake, but they’re afraid to change their minds,” said Young.

Young said that he’s been working around the earmark ban by remaining in close contact with the House appropriations committee. He mentioned that he had been in touch with them about keeping funding levels up for programs like Alaska’s tsunami monitoring system, which is at risk of seeing a million-dollar cut.

But when asked to give concrete examples of how the earmark ban was impacting Alaska, Young responded that the policy did more to discourage state districts from asking for money than to necessarily prevent any Alaska projects from going through and getting funding.

“I can’t give you a specific example right now,” said Young. “All I know is I go to these communities that say they no longer have the money to do it.”

According to the Census Bureau’s most recent study on federal aid, Alaska received $12.6 billion in funding in 2010, the year earmarks came under fire in Washington. In 2009, the state received $14.2 billion in federal money.