T&I Republicans fought hard to protect farmers, businesses, builders, states, local governments, and all private citizens from the economic impacts of the Biden Administration proposal to reinstate strict and cumbersome regulations over waters and water use decisions throughout the United States. The Biden Administration’s final rule redefining “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS) under the Clean Water Act (CWA) would have moved the Nation towards a significant expansion of the federal government's regulatory power.
Following years of uncertainty, the Trump Administration, in 2025, proposed a rule to define Waters of the United States (WOTUS) under the Clean Water Act in a manner that will provide much-needed clarity and regulatory certainty for farmers, businesses, infrastructure builders, and communities throughout the United States.
Key actions Republicans have taken on WOTUS during the 119th Congress:
The Biden Administration is continuing to move forward with its rulemaking despite the fact that a pending Supreme Court case (Sackett) will have direct impacts on their WOTUS rule. The EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers have ignored Republican calls to halt their rulemaking process, which continues to waste agency resources, until the Supreme Court has acted.
