Cuts Billions in Unnecessary, Wasteful Funding

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WASHINGTON, D.C. - By a vote of 82 to 15, the United States Senate passed three bipartisan Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) appropriations bills, cutting more than $10 billion in spending and funding the Departments of the Interior, Energy Commerce and Justice. The minibus, which previously passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 397 to 28, invests in America's energy dominance, combats violent crime, and supports critical water and infrastructure projects in North Dakota. The bill delivers on the Trump administration's priorities, strengthens national security, puts taxpayers first, and keeps promises made to North Dakota and the American people.

"This is a major victory for getting back to regular order in the United States Senate," said U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND). "This bill prioritizes the safety of our nation, our highest priority, boosts economic growth, it maintains our competitive edge by prioritizing things that really matter to us in North Dakota. Things like space exploration, domestic energy production, sound land management policies, and of course, critical infrastructure. It was a vote that was really important because it helps avert the shutdown potential on January 30th and it reduces discretionary spending and waste. Congress has the Constitutional power of the purse, and we have an obligation to get our work done on behalf of the American people."

Energy and Water Development

The energy and water development provision accelerates the advancement of commercially viable technologies for the recovery of rare earth elements and critical minerals from North Dakota sources like lignite and supports the study of carbon dioxide in enhancing oil and natural gas production in shale formations. The bill reduces wasteful spending on intermittent technologies like wind and solar.

The bill provides $10.4 billion to the Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and fully funds USACE Operation and Management (O&M) activities across all North Dakota locations.

The legislation also includes several provisions Cramer wrote which were included in WRDA of 2024 and 2020. It includes $14.1 million in Environmental Infrastructure (EI) funding. North Dakota is eligible for EI funding through the 594 Program, which Cramer reauthorized in WRDA 2024. The program assists public entities in the state to design and construct water and wastewater infrastructure.

The bill implements the fee retention structure authorized by Cramer's bipartisan LAKES Act, enacted in WRDA 2024. It directs up to 80% of recreation fees to the USACE sites at which they are collected for operations and maintenance. This marks the first time the authority is being implemented through the appropriations process and covers an estimated $67 million in recreation fees for 2026.

It secures $14 million for the Coastal Ocean Data System program, which funds the research and development of the benefits of subsurface drainage for flood mitigation and coastal erosion. The study was authorized by Cramer in the WRDA of 2020.

The bill also provides advance payment authority to the USACE for the Fargo-Moorhead Flood Risk Management Project, allowing the early transfer of unutilized federal funds to the Metro Flood Diversion Authority prior to project completion

The bill includes $1.7 billion for the Bureau of Reclamation and fully funds the Dickinson, Garrison Diversion, and Heart Butte Units of the Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program in North Dakota. An additional $75 million for rural water is included which can support tribal and non-tribal rural water projects across North Dakota. The Energy and Water Development provisions provide $50 million for the Eastern North Dakota Alternate Water Supply Project, which is designed to deliver a bulk water supply to meet municipal and rural water needs of people in the central and eastern parts of the state.

It invests in reliable, affordable baseload energy by allocating $1.785 billion for DOE Office of Nuclear Energy, including $269 million for the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program, and $8.4 billion for DOE Office of Science, including $35 million for the EPSCoR Program. The DOE Fossil Energy Office will receive $720 million: $10 million for gas post-combustion capture, $10 million for coal and gas pre-combustion capture, $25 million to support all applications of carbon capture technologies, $75 million for Point Source Capture, at least $19 million for enhanced oil recovery, and $25 million for regional carbon sequestration partnerships.

The bill encourages the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to evaluate interconnection queue prioritization proposals from transmission providers to expedite adding dispatchable power resources onto the grid.

Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies

The FY26 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act cuts wasteful funding for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) by 4%. It provides $2.8 billion for the Clean Water and Drinking Water Revolving Funds and maintains funding for EPA's Safe Drinking Water Act Technical Assistance Program at $30.7 million. This program provides critical technical assistance to help small and rural communities operate and maintain public wastewater treatment utilities and comply with federal Clean Water Act standards.

The bill fully funds Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) payments to support the costs associated with maintaining vital community services. PILT payments are made for tax-exempt federal lands administered by Department of Interior bureaus. North Dakota received nearly $2.1 million in PILT for FY25. It also continues the prohibition of an Endangered Species Act (ESA) listing of sage grouse.

The legislation fully funds agencies to prepare for and respond to wildland fires and continues funding for the U.S. Forest Service Cooperative Fire Assistance for states and volunteers.

It delivers $8.1 billion to the Indian Health Service, which includes funding for staffing new facilities and health care delivery services. Contract support costs (CSC) and tribal lease payments are fully funded and advanced appropriations are maintained.

Further, it authorizes $3.9 billion for the Bureau of Indian Education and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. This funding supports important public safety and justice services, community and economic development, and probate programs. CSC and tribal lease payments are fully funded.

Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS)

The FY26 CJS Appropriations Act funds federal, state, and local law enforcement. Specifically, it secures $3.9 billion for the U.S. Marshals Service to detain violent fugitives and illegal immigrants, $2.6 billion to the Drug Enforcement Administration to dismantle Mexican cartels, and $2.6 billion to the U.S. Attorneys' offices to indict, prosecute, and incarcerate violent criminals. The bill includes provisions funding the Crime Victims Fund, the Community Oriented Policing Services Office, and the Violence Against Women Act.

It maintains $44 million in funding for the Regional Information Sharing Systems (RISS) Program. North Dakota participates in the RISS program through the Mid-States Organized Crime Information Center, which allows North Dakota law enforcement to access intelligence databases, analytical and research staff, and investigative equipment to help solve crime. This has long been a priority for Cramer, who has worked closely with North Dakota law enforcement, the Bureau, and the state crime lab to strengthen public safety and keep communities safe. While the program is congressionally funded each year, RISS is locally managed.

It includes $466 million for the Economic Development Administration (EDA) to support community-based economic revitalization projects. As Ranking Member of the Environment and Public Works Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee, Cramer helped reauthorize the EDA in 2024. The reauthorization emphasized investments in hard infrastructure and included specific reforms to better meet the needs of rural communities across North Dakota.

The Commerce, Justice, and Science section preserves key policy riders, including the U.S. Department of Justice Hyde provision, the Tiahrt Amendment, prohibitions on export controls relating to firearms, and the prohibition relating to the U.N. Arms Trade Treaty.

The bill provides resources necessary to support realigning the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from Washington, D.C. to the field, strengthening the Bureau's capacity to investigate violent crime, gangs, narcotics, trafficking, and terrorism. The minibus awards $10.6 billion to the FBI to detect, investigate, and prosecute crimes against the U.S. and $15 million for necessary expenses related to construction or acquisition of facilities.

It includes $24.4 billion for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to fund the Artemis Program of Record, the International Space Station, and the commercial low earth orbit destinations program. The bill provides nearly $9 billion for the National Science Foundation to maintain U.S. leadership in scientific research and discovery, $6.2 billion for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to fund the National Weather Service and maintain weather satellites, and $1.85 billion for the National Institute of Standards and Technology to maintain U.S. dominance in quantum information science and artificial intelligence.

The CJS Appropriations Act allocates $3.1 billion to the Office of Justice Programs, which supports police and sheriff departments such as Byrne Justice Assistance Grants, Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act programs, and DNA and forensics-related activities.

The bill provides $235 million for the Bureau of Industry and Security to enforce export controls on the most sensitive U.S. technologies and to conduct Section 232 investigations with respect to national security threats.

Further, the legislation allocates roughly $1.5 billion for the Bureau of the Census to support preparations for the 2030 Decennial Census, $562 million to the Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration to protect U.S. businesses from unfair competition and promote exports from small and midsized businesses, and $88 million to the Office of the United States Trade Representative to ensure adequate staffing in trade negotiations.