Press Releases

Washington, D.C. – Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves (R-MO), Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Ranking Member Rick Larsen (D-WA), Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee Chairman Mike Collins (R-GA), and Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee Ranking Member Frederica S. Wilson (D-FL) today released the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2026, a bipartisan bill that addresses important water resources infrastructure needs across the country.

Communities nationwide and the U.S. economy rely on WRDA-authorized investments in water resources infrastructure and projects of the United States Army Corps of Engineers (Corps). Since 2014, Congress has enacted a WRDA every two years to help improve the nation’s ports and harbors, inland waterway navigation system, flood and storm risk management, environment, and other aspects of our water resources infrastructure. WRDA-authorized projects of the Corps are locally-driven projects that deliver regional and national benefits.

“WRDA 2026 helps build and maintain safe and reliable waterways, flood protection, and other water infrastructure throughout the United States. This bill streamlines Corps of Engineers’ processes, providing targeted and commonsense reforms to improve project delivery and empower local stakeholders,” said Committee Chairman Graves. “For North Missouri in particular, WRDA 2026 advances a comprehensive flood control plan on the Missouri River, ensuring that people and property are the main priority when managing the river. It also expands the ways our levee owners can work with the Corps to build flood risk management infrastructure and provides necessary, streamlined assistance to levee districts facing maintenance challenges. It also strengthens my state’s representation in Missouri River basin management. I want to thank Ranking Member Larsen, Chairman Collins, and Ranking Member Wilson for their work throughout this process, as well as the hundreds of Members of Congress who participated in the development of this bipartisan bill.”

“The Water Resources Development Act of 2026 continues our committee’s biennial efforts to improve water resources infrastructure across the country, grow our economy, ensure communities can affordably access U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ expertise and build resilient infrastructure in the face of more frequent and severe storms,” said Committee Ranking Member Larsen. “In the Pacific Northwest and across the country, investments in ports, harbors and inland waterways support good-paying jobs and are key to long-term economic growth. I look forward to marking up WRDA 2026 soon.”

“Whether it’s the Port of Savannah, our rivers and dams, or the flood-control projects that protect homes and businesses, Georgians rely on waterways and water infrastructure every day,” said Subcommittee Chairman Collins. “WRDA 2026 modernizes Georgia’s water infrastructure and empowers local organizations to build and contribute to the infrastructure projects that will serve their communities for generations to come. As Georgia continues to grow, this legislation guarantees our infrastructure will keep pace with the needs of our families, businesses, and local communities.”

“When I joined the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, the Water Resources Development Act had been stalled for seven years," said Subcommittee Ranking Member Wilson. “I knew Florida could help change that. We had more members serving on the Committee than any other state, and I saw an opportunity to bring our delegation together. That is why I founded the bipartisan Florida Ports Caucus. We put politics aside, spoke with one voice, and helped get WRDA back on track. Today, that same spirit of collaboration continues through WRDA 2026, which strengthens our ports, advances Everglades restoration, protects Biscayne Bay, and invests in the water infrastructure that keeps South Florida’s economy growing and our communities strong.”

WRDA 2026 authorizes 131 new feasibility studies for locally proposed water resources infrastructure projects and 10 projects that have been vetted by the Corps and are ready for construction authorization by Congress.

In addition, WRDA 2026 includes various policy changes to improve infrastructure project delivery. These include strengthening and reauthorizing alternative project delivery programs, emphasizing non-federal interests’ input for feasibility studies, and helping ensure non-federal interests can find the right Corps resources to get projects off the ground. 

The bill improves the partnership between the Corps and non-federal interests by establishing offices with expertise on inland navigation, alternative delivery, water supply, and technical assistance.  Policies in this bill will improve non-federal interests’ ability to obtain valuable technical assistance and to fund construction more quickly, as well as to encourage the Corps to increase use of multi-year contracts.

WRDA 2026 provisions will better support the Corps’ navigation mission, improve the Corps’ accountability to Congress, strengthen flood and coastal storm risk management, and address dam safety through the reauthorization of the High Hazard Potential Dam program under the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA’s) National Dam Safety Program.

Click here for legislative text and here for a summary of WRDA 2026.