NGA Joins Coalition Letter Urging Passage of the Water Resources Development Act

Dear Chairman Capito, Ranking Member Whitehouse, Chairman Graves and Ranking Member Larsen:

On behalf of the state and local leaders our organizations represent, the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), the National Governors Association (NGA), The Council of State Governments (CSG), the National Association of Counties (NACo), the National League of Cities (NLC), the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) and the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) appreciate the opportunity to provide input during the authorization process for the 2026 Water Resources Development Act (WRDA). We maintain that perpetuating a strong water infrastructure system and ensuring access to clean and safe drinking water is essential to supporting the nation's economic growth and global competitiveness. Our members stand ready to work with you to ensure the passage of a new bipartisan WRDA bill in 2026. As your committees begin to develop legislation, we offer the following as a framework:

Biennial Authorization

The WRDA is crucial for the continued protection, maintenance and development of both our natural resources and water infrastructure systems including ports, harbors and waterways. It provides states and local governments with the added stability necessary to meet water infrastructure needs while also supporting the safety, environmental protection and economic development of our communities. In the past decade, Congress enacted five separate water resource development packages on a biennial, bipartisan basis. We strongly urge Congress to stay on this course and approve this vital bipartisan legislation in 2026 and continue to maintain a two-year authorization schedule moving forward.

Intergovernmental Collaboration

We were encouraged by the 2024 provisions requiring the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to develop a process to formally consult with stakeholders, including state and local governments, on future and pending WRDA projects, annual district budgets, deauthorized projects and guidance documents. The 2024 provisions ensure that unique
perspectives on water infrastructure projects within communities are considered. Our organizations encourage you to continue to build on this meaningful consultation with state and local governments to foster a greater consensus and increase the effectiveness of the Corps overall. Recognizing the role of state and local governments
in implementing federal laws, Congress passed the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 to control, if not eliminate, the imposition of unfunded federal mandates on states and localities. Additionally, Executive Order 13132 was signed in 1999, explicitly required all federal agencies to formally consult with state and local governments when proposed regulations will have a direct impact on them.

Maintenance and Modernization of Our Nation's Ports and Harbors

We were pleased that WRDA 2020 unlocked billions of dollars in the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund for maintenance dredging activities outside discretionary budget limitations. We continue to encourage Congress to appropriate the maximum allowable funds for this purpose and make them available immediately to increase
investment in our nation's economy and infrastructure and to create and sustain U.S. jobs, maximizing the Corps capabilities. It is vital that we continue to build on previous federal efforts to ensure our nation's ports and harbors remain competitive globally. Continued support for the beneficial use of dredged material is essential for meeting economic and environmental goals.

Flooding Mitigation and Resilience

With the rise in increasingly catastrophic and costly extreme weather events, intense flooding has become an unwelcome reality for many state and local governments. We support congressional efforts that provide the necessary aid to state and local governments to ensure they have the capabilities to mitigate potential flood and storm damage, including using natural infrastructure and dam safety initiatives. As severe weather events become more commonplace, our members and their constituents ask for a strong federal partner and funding to make communities more resilient.

We look forward to working with you to ensure that the safety and modernization of our nation's water infrastructure needs remain top national priorities in this seventh consecutive iteration of the WRDA. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us: Ben Nasta (NCSL) at 202-624-3597 or [email protected]; Richard Lukas (NGA) at 202-624-3623 or [email protected]; Jamal Nelson (CSG) at 202-624-5460 or [email protected]; Charlotte Mitchell Duyshart (NACo) at 202-661-8826 or [email protected]; Carolyn Berndt (NLC) at 202-626-3101 or [email protected]; Judy Sheahan (USCM) at 202-355-8540 or [email protected]; Amber Snowden (ICMA) at 202-460-2280 or [email protected].

Sincerely,

Julia D. Novak
CEO/Executive Director
International City/County Management Association