NUCA National News Summary
Industry News and Advocacy
Appropriations Fights Loom In September House and Senate lawmakers left town at the beginning of August deeply divided over annual funding – but in a possible sign of progress , water infrastructure spending cuts proposed by House Republicans are significantly lower than those initially put forward in 2023 .
Just before leaving town on August 1 , the House voted mostly along party lines to pass their version of the FY2025 Interior / Environment Appropriations bill , which would cut the EPA ’ s budget by 20 %, a decrease of $ 1.8 billion . Unfortunately , the legislation contains significant problems . Under the proposal , the Drinking Water SRF is slated to receive $ 883 million ( down from $ 1.126B in FY2024 ) and the Clean Water SRF $ 1.203B ( down from $ 1.126B ). Earmarks remain an issue , with the proposal allocating $ 1.033B out of the total of $ 2.086B to 895 drinking water , wastewater , and stormwater projects nationwide . It is not expected to become law in its current form , and negotiations with the Senate and the White House will have to take place before any spending agreement is reached .
The Senate has yet to advance any spending bills out of the chamber , but in contrast their proposed bill does not significantly alter water funding from FY2024 levels .
Both chambers will return in September under immense pressure to reach a spending agreement , with a deadline to fund the government by September 30th . It is worth noting that the FY2024 appropriations process outlasted 2023 , and with election 2024 ongoing it is likely that we end the federal fiscal year on September 30 under a Continuing Resolution ( CR ) keeping funding flat until 2025 . NUCA will continue to advocate for sustainable levels of water infrastructure funding and will keep our members updated on any developments in Congress .
U . S . House and Senate Pass Bipartisan WRDA Acts Both chambers of Congress passed their version of the " Water Resources Development Act " ( WRDA ) before leaving for their August break . The U . S . House of Representatives approved WRDA ( H . R . 8812 ) on July 22 on a 359-13 vote , while the Senate unanimously passed its version ( S . 4367 ) on August 1 . This NUCA-supported legislation regularly authorizes the U . S . Army Corps of Engineers to develop and construct projects to improve the nation ’ s ports and harbors , inland waterway navigation , flood and storm protection , and other aspects of this nation ' s maritime and water infrastructure .