Congress Approves FY 2026 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Bill

Washington, D.C. - Today, the U.S. Senate passed the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act by a vote of 82-15. The legislation, which passed the House of Representatives last week by a vote of 397 to 28, will improve critical American water infrastructure and promote American energy independence. These funds will also help strengthen the U.S. nuclear deterrence posture, ensure nuclear stockpile readiness and safety, and prepare for existing and future nuclear threats. It now heads to the President's desk to be signed into law.

The bill provides $58 billion in discretionary funding, including $23.8 in nondefense funding and $34.2 billion in defense funding.

"This legislation will help strengthen America's energy independence, supporting an all-of-the-above approach to energy research, development, and deployment efforts,"?said Senator Susan Collins, Chair of the Appropriations Committee.?"The bill provides strong support for our national defense by meeting the needs of our nuclear deterrence posture during this period of growing geopolitical tensions.? At home, the bill funds critical Army Corps of Engineers water infrastructure projects, which provide for safe navigation and flood control."

"President Biden left Americans with sky-high electricity bills, a drained national fuel reserve, and a mountain of red tape that strangled energy production and cut good-paying jobs. That wasn't governing-it was failure. President Trump's energy agenda brings common sense back to Washington and puts American energy dominance back within reach. The FY 2026 Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill delivers real results for Louisianans and the American people by reducing waste, strengthening our nation's energy and nuclear security, and providing real flood protection. I'm proud this bill is becoming law. The era of Biden's anti-energy policies is over, and President Trump should sign this bill without hesitation," said Senator John Kennedy (R-LA), Chair of the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee.

Bill Highlights

Army Corps of Engineers: $10.4 billion for the Army Corps of Engineers' Civil Works program to reduce flood risk, increase the resiliency of our coastlines, improve the navigability of our ports, and restore ecosystems that have been affected by Corps projects.

• Construction: $3.2 billion to focus on priority new and ongoing Corps construction projects, including critical dam safety projects.

• Mississippi River and Tributaries: $531.6 million, an increase of $275 million above FY 2026 President's budget request.

• Operation and Maintenance: Includes $6.0 billion, an increase of $460 million above FY 2025 enacted for Corps projects to fund necessary dredging, repair, and operation of navigation structures and other facilities.

Department of Interior: $1.7 billion for the Bureau of Reclamation to help manage, develop, and protect water resources in the western United States.

Department of Energy, Defense: $33.9 billion to strengthen the U.S. nuclear deterrence posture, ensure nuclear stockpile readiness and safety, prepare for existing and future nuclear threats, power the Navy's nuclear fleet, and support the cleanup of legacy nuclear security sites.

Weapons Activities: $20.4 billion for nuclear stockpile modernization, testing, and certification. It also includes increased funding for secure transportation activities and defense nuclear security. Includes $186 million for the Sea Launched Cruise Missile-Nuclear (SLCM-N) variant; $2.6 billion for plutonium pit production activities (including $1.1 billion for the Savannah River Pit Processing Facility); $730 million for the Uranium Production Facility; and $270 million for domestic lithium production capability and capacity for stockpile modernization.

• Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation: $2.4 billion for the Department's worldwide efforts to secure nuclear materials and keep weapons from falling into the wrong hands. The bill also supports domestic and international nuclear incident response capabilities.

• Naval Reactors: $2.1 billion to support our Navy's nuclear-powered fleet and research and development for our future generations of nuclear-powered warships.?

• Defense Environmental Cleanup: $7.4 billion for the continued cleanup of our nation's nuclear security sites, providing increased funding for legacy clean-up sites in Washington, South Carolina, Tennessee, Idaho, and Nevada.

Department of Energy Non-Defense: $15.1 billionin new budget authority to support the development of domestic supply chains and invest in energy research and development programs. The bill provides support for key DOE programs, including the Offices of Fossil Energy, Nuclear Energy, Science, and Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

• Developing Domestic Supply Chain for Electric Grid Components: $375 million to help establish a domestic supply chain for electric grid components, such as transformers.

• Fossil Energy: $720 million to support research into advanced fossil energy technologies, the development of a critical minerals supply chain, and the research, operations, and infrastructure at the National Energy Technology Laboratory.

• Nuclear Energy: $1.8 billion to foster innovation and reduce barriers to commercialization, and an additional $3.1 billion in repurposed funds for small modular reactors and Advanced Reactor Demonstration projects.

• Office of Science: $8.4 billion to support cutting-edge research at our national laboratories and partnerships with universities throughout the country.

• Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE): $3.1 billion (10.4 percent decrease relative to FY 2024 enacted) to refocus funding within EERE to better support baseload power sources, such as geothermal energy and hydropower.

Independent Agencies: The bill continues to fund Regional Commissions to support economic development throughout the country.

• Appalachian Regional Commission: $200 million
• Delta Regional Authority: $32 million
• Denali Commission: $18 million
• Great Lakes Authority: $5 million
• Northern Border Regional Commission: $42 million
• Northwest Regional Commission: $1 million
• Southeast Crescent Regional Commission: $20 million
• Southwest Border Regional Commission: $5.5 million

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