House Passes Water Resources Development Act
Last week, the House passed the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2026 (H.R. 9497) on an overwhelming bipartisan basis of 415-9. The House passed the legislation before recessing, kicking off a seven weeklong recess ahead of the November midterm elections. WRDA is responsible for authorizing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) water infrastructure activities and has historically enjoyed bipartisan support. In addition to authorizing USACE projects, H.R. 9497 also focuses on improving project delivery of Corp projects, including reauthorizing and strengthening alternative project delivery programs; emphasizing non-federal input into project feasibility studies; establishing offices with expertise in inland navigation, alternative project delivery, water supply, and technical assistance to improve partnerships with non-federal entities; and encouraging USACE to increase use of multi-year contracts.

While the House passed H.R. 9497, the Senate has been slower to take action on their WRDA bill S. 4949. The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works unanimously advanced the bill in July, but the bill has yet to be scheduled for Floor action. Unlike the House WRDA that is a USACE-focused bill, the Senate’s WRDA includes reauthorization of key U.S. Environmental Protection Agency water infrastructure programs like the State Revolving Loan Funds and Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act. As a result of these differences, the House and Senate will have to negotiate to resolve the differences between the two bills and pass a final compromised WRDA. These negotiations between House and Senate committee staff are expected during the congressional recess and present to Members upon their return to Washington in November.