Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Rick Larsen (2nd Congressional District Washington)

Today, U.S. Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02)’s Water Resources Development Act of 2026 (WRDA 2026) passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 415 to 9. The bipartisan, biennial bill protects Northwest Washington’s environment, supports Columbia River Treaty negotiations and authorizes critical investments in Northwest Washington ports, inland waterways, flood management systems and other water resources infrastructure.

“Today’s House passage of the Water Resources Development Act of 2026 is great news for ports, harbors and inland waterways in the Pacific Northwest and across the country,” said Rep. Larsen, who is the top Democrat on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. “From expanding funding opportunities to restore ecosystems on Spencer Island to authorizing a study to mitigate Nooksack River flooding, WRDA 2026 continues bipartisan efforts to improve water resources infrastructure, create good-paying jobs and protect communities from natural disasters. I look forward to working with the Senate to pass a final WRDA 2026 into law.” 

Since 2014, Congress has enacted a water resources development bill every two years to help improve the nation’s ports and harbors, inland waterway navigation system, flood and storm risk management, aquatic ecosystems and other aspects of water resources infrastructure. WRDA 2024 passed with overwhelming bipartisan support and included many of Rep. Larsen’s local priorities, including funding environmental infrastructure assistance to Western Washington state communities and expanding the Tribal Partnership Program (TPP) to make it easier for the Army Corps of Engineers to partner with Northwest Tribes on projects.

Washington State Wins in WRDA 2026

WRDA 2026 invests in Washington state priorities, including restoring the Puget Sound, addressing Nooksack River flooding and ensuring that critical Corps projects across the state can continue.

Wins for Washington in WRDA 2026 include: 

• Nooksack River Flooding: Authorizes a new feasibility study for flood risk reduction in the Nooksack River, which Whatcom County can use for long-term planning to address flooding concerns. Rep. Larsen has been working with local leaders to develop a plan to address Nooksack River flooding. Earlier this year, he advocated for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster relief funds to help communities recover from December 2025’s devastating floods, and he has championed FEMA flood mitigation grant funding so that local communities can prepare for future floods.
• Disaster Debris Removal: Reforms how the Corps writes emergency debris removal contracts after floods to minimize harmful impacts to property and wildlife, and directs the Secretary of the Corps to ensure protection of healthy vegetation, important habitats, and vulnerable wildlife when setting standard contract terms. This provision will protect local ecosystems while cleaning flood debris in the Skagit River and other local rivers from December 2025’s floods.
• Puget Sound and Adjacent Waters (PSAW): Increases the per project funding cap to $20 million, ensuring projects like Spencer Island restoration in Snohomish County continue to move forward. In 2018, Rep. Larsen successfully included an amendment in WRDA 2018 to increase the per project cap for PSAW to $10 million.
• Puget Sound Nearshore Ecosystem Restoration Project (PSNERP): Allows the Corps to cost-share the relocation of related infrastructure for PNSERP projects at Lilliwaup Estuary, Tahuya Estuary, Snow Creek and Salmon Creek and Nooksack Estuary. Rep. Larsen previously worked to authorize $451 million for PSNERP in WRDA 2016. The Puget Sound is the largest estuary by water volume in the United States. Rep. Larsen’s bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the National Estuary Program through 2031 and protect estuaries around the country passed the House last December.
• Columbia River Treaty: Extends temporary authority for the United States to pay for pre-planned storage of water in Canada while United States and Canada continue to negotiate a new Columbia River Treaty. The United States’ current authority expires in 2027. The hydropower that the Columbia River Treaty provides benefits towns and cities across Northwest Washington, and Rep. Larsen has advocated for the Columbia River Treaty’s renewal for over a decade. Rep. Larsen supports efforts to negotiate a modern Columbia River treaty that manages flood risks and ensures a reliable clean energy supply, and he is working with local stakeholders to gather input ahead of negotiations.
• Preventing Invasive Aquatic Species: Clarifies that indirect costs incurred by non-federal partners remain eligible for credit or reimbursement under the Corps’ Watercraft Inspection authority, which funds state efforts to prevent the spread of invasive aquatic species. Invasive golden, quagga and zebra mussels continue to expand their footprint in the Pacific Northwest. Early detection monitoring, watercraft inspection and decontamination and eradication efforts are critical to preventing further spread.
• Lower Columbia River Channel Maintenance: Clarifies that the cost of constructing a dredged material disposal facility for operation and maintenance of the Lower Willamette and Lower Columbia River is a federal responsibility that can be drawn from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF). These facilities are necessary for dredging operations to maintain the Columbia River waterway, which moves over $31 billion in cargo annually and supports 40,000 local jobs.
• Lower Columbia River Turning Basin: Authorizes the Chief’s Report for Lower Columbia Turning Basin improvements. Traffic has continued to grow in the Lower Columbia River, with an increase in larger vessels that need room to safely turn and park. These improvements will allow for the better positioning of vessels, increase opportunities to use nearby tug service and improve efficient movement of vessels transporting goods.
• HMTF Allocations for Donor and Energy Transfer Ports: Removes discretion for the Administration to ensure it fully utilizes a provision in WRDA 2020 requiring specific funding allocations from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund to donor and energy transfer ports. The Ports of Seattle and Tacoma are donor ports.
• Office of Technical Assistance and Community Outreach: Creates an Office of Technical Assistance and Community Outreach within the Corps to help communities that may have difficulty navigating the Corps’ planning and construction processes. This office will serve as a one-stop-shop for directing communities to existing programs that assist with affordability concerns, address unique needs, and provide support for any stage of a Corps project.
• Corps Study Process: Requires the Corps and the non-federal sponsor to establish an agreed-to timeframe (with milestones) for studies, and to allow the non-federal sponsor to request time extensions based on project complexity and sponsor’s goals.  

For the legislative text of WRDA 2026, click here.

For a summary of WRDA 2026, click here.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Rick Larsen (2nd Congressional District Washington)

Today, U.S. Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) released the following statement after the House of Representatives voted to pass the Ratepayers Protection Act 417 to 3.

“I voted for the Ratepayers Protection Act to protect families from higher electric bills,” said Rep. Larsen. “This legislation is only a start, and there is a lot more work to do. I support tough, upfront restrictions on large data centers: no high electric bills for local families and small businesses, no federal tax breaks, and no construction without community approval and union labor. Data centers must pay their fair share to connect to and use the grid, and they should be required to use closed loop water systems. I support the ability of local jurisdictions to enact temporary moratoriums to give themselves time to decide how they want to manage large data centers.”

The Ratepayer Protection Act requires state regulators to consider directing data centers to pay the full cost of connection to the grid, protecting ratepayers from footing the bill for data centers’ power consumption. In 2024, the Department of Energy projected that the percentage of U.S. electricity demand from data centers could grow from 4.4 percent in 2023 to 12 percent by 2028.

Rep. Larsen also cosponsors the Big Ugly Tax Breaks for Data Centers Act to roll back tax breaks for large AI data centers in Republicans’ Big Ugly Law.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Rick Larsen (2nd Congressional District Washington)

Today, U.S. Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) released the following statement:

“I support Ukraine. I always have, and I always will. But this sanctions bill isn’t necessary.

“President Trump already has authority to impose sanctions on the Russian officials and companies that are fueling the brutal war in Ukraine. And yet he has chosen to sanction only two Russian officials with that authority.

“Congress has already allocated $400 million for assistance to Ukraine. Instead of using these existing powers and dollars, the Trump Pentagon has refused to release that money to help the Ukraine military.

“President Trump is going easy on Putin and blaming Ukraine for surging diesel prices. This sanctions bill doesn’t do anything to help Ukraine that this President can’t already do.”

The House of Representatives today voted to pass the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act by a vote of 262 to 159.

Rep. Larsen is a strong advocate for a free and independent Ukraine. In June, he helped pass the Ukraine Support Act, which would impose tough sanctions on Russia and provide additional security assistance to Ukraine. Rep. Larsen is a member of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA), an organization made up of delegates from all 32 NATO member countries with a mission to engage in dialogue over transatlantic security issues.

Rep. Larsen is also a leader in opposing the Trump administration’s tariffs and a member of the New Democrat Coalition Trade and Tariffs Task Force. In February, the House passed with bipartisan support a resolution that Larsen co-led to terminate President Trump’s abuse of “emergency” authorities to impose sweeping tariffs on U.S. imports from Canada.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steny H Hoyer (MD-05)

WASHINGTON, DC –Today, Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) delivered remarks during a press conference following House passage of the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026. Below are a video and transcript of his remarks:

Click here to watch a video of his remarks.

“Senator Shaheen and Senator Blumenthal, who have been such giants, [have been] working on this for a long, long period of time. I’ve got a speech here; I’m not going to give it as it’s written. This is a good day. It’s a good day for freedom. It’s a good day for democracy. It’s a good day for a country that has [been] beleaguered by a savage nation who, contrary to their agreement – and they got nuclear material, all of it in return for the promise to honor the sovereignty of Ukraine, to honor the geography of Ukraine, and to honor the democracy of Ukraine – they lied. And today we took a step to redeem our pledge to Ukraine, to support their sovereignty and their democracy and their geography. The mother of this war was the tepid response in 2014 to the stealing of Crimea. Today was a statement by the Congress of the United States in a bipartisan way, that that should not stand. And that the voice of America spoken through the Congress of the United States is to tell Russia and Putin, ‘No more. No more standing by and rationalizing your behavior. No more allowing Ukrainians to be killed every night. No more the theft of eastern Ukraine and of Crimea. No more to savage invasion of sovereign countries, inconsistent with every international treaty that we know of.’ 

“I spent eight hours today on the phone with my Members on my side of the aisle. There was concern by some of our leadership, for whom I have great affection and great respect, and who we co-sponsored a bill, the Ukraine Support Act – which is stronger than the bill we just passed, better than the bill we just passed, more comprehensive than the bill we just passed. But this bill was critically important, and I want to thank all the people here. And Senator [Graham], I want to thank you. Lindsey and I did a number of travels together. He was one of the funniest guys I know. And he – I didn’t always agree with him, and I was frustrated that it took us from April [2024] to this day to pass a major piece of legislation. Twenty-four – two years ago [was] the last time we acted. This was way past time to say to Russia, ‘We’re not for you. We’re against the action you’ve taken. And to say to Ukraine, ‘We’re your friends. We are for you. And we will stand with you.’ 

“I personally think it’s none of Russia’s business whether Ukraine joins NATO. I am for that. I am for that because that’s what they want. And frankly, Sweden did not ask, nor did we ask Russia’s permission for Sweden. We didn’t ask for permission for Finland to join NATO. And we should not ask for permission for Ukraine to join NATO. But this day is about saying, ‘We want sanctions on Russia.’ I believe the President is going to sign a bill which says we want sanctions on Russia, and then we will be able to say and the world will be able to say the Congress of the United States has set a policy that we will sanction, actively and effectively, Russian criminal behavior.

“So, I want to say how proud I am to be associated – I want to say something about Marcy Kaptur. Marcy Kaptur is Ukrainian. Marcy Kaptur is the strongest voice in the Congress of the United States on behalf of Ukraine for [the] decades that she and I have served together. Marcy Kaptur has been my leader on this issue. Now, I was the Leader for a long time, but on this issue we cooperated. And I talked to Senator Blumenthal and Senator Shaheen on a regular basis of ‘How are we going to get this done?’ And I want to thank my partners. Mike McCaul. We would not have gotten the Ukraine Support Act out of the Congress without Mike McCaul. He stood up to his party. he stood for principle, and he stood for Ukraine. And Joe Wilson was there with him. Joe, thank you very much. Ukraine’s battle is not over, and we must be faithful to the action that we took in the Congress. Mr. Meeks and I and Ms. DeLauro are going to introduce a bill – hopefully within the next week – which will authorize additional funding for weapons and materials to confront the onslaught against Ukraine. So, we know that this battle is not over until Ukrainians are all free, and Crimea is an integral part of that country. Thank you.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)

Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar issued the following statement:

We unequivocally support the Ukrainian people in their courageous fight for freedom against Russian aggression. Ukraine is on the side of democracy, freedom and truth. Russia is on the side of autocracy, tyranny and oppression. To that end, beginning in 2022, House Democrats have acted repeatedly to ensure that the Ukrainian people have what they need to defend themselves. In April of 2024, we provided a historic $61 billion in funding. Several months ago, Democrats took control of the Floor of the House of Representatives and successfully forced a vote on the Ukraine Support Act, a comprehensive piece of legislation that imposes tough sanctions on Russia.

Unfortunately, the bill we voted on today, H.R. 5334, gives extraordinary power to Donald Trump. It allows him to waive the sanctions contained in the bill, while giving him new, expansive tariff authority to continue his failed global trade war that is causing costs to skyrocket for working families across America. Sadly, the White House is willing to risk Ukrainian lives and American livelihoods instead of working to actually hold this rogue Russian regime accountable for its illegal war.

President Trump has shown no willingness to be strong on Russia, and he cannot be entrusted with new powers to impose tariffs that will further raise costs for American families. For that reason, we voted No on this legislation.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Lori Trahan (D-MA-03)

Today, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03), a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, voted to pass the bipartisan Ratepayer Protection Act, legislation that gives state utility regulators clear standards to make sure large-load customers, including new data centers or information storage facilities, pay for the infrastructure they need. It requires companies to cover the full cost of any additional grid upgrades over time and provide financial guarantees, protecting ratepayers if a data center scales back its operations or shuts down entirely. Trahan also helped pass the legislation when it was considered in the Energy and Commerce Committee in July. 
“Families are being squeezed by rising costs across the board. The last thing they need is a data center driving up their utility bills and making it even harder to make ends meet,” said Congresswoman Trahan. “The Ratepayer Protection Act says that if you build a data center, you pay for the data center, including the infrastructure and utility costs that too often get passed onto residents. Communities across the country have made it clear they aren’t going to tolerate these facilities driving up their utility costs and impacting their quality of life. Congress should build on this progress by codifying Governor Healey’s effort to ensure communities have a real say in if and when these facilities.”
Large scale data centers or information storage facilities that use 100 megawatts or more require extensive cooling systems that are necessary to keep servers from overheating. These cooling systems can account for as much as 40% of a data center’s total electricity use. These data centers can use even more electricity during summer months or during heat waves where electric grids are already under strain and electricity is under more demand. Recent studies examining the impact of growing data center demand found that wholesale electricity prices increased by 6% to 29% on average nationwide, with increases of up to 57% in the regions most affected, compared with projected prices without that growth in demand.
“Right now, families across our country are afraid to open up their electric bills. The number keeps climbing, and their paycheck isn’t keeping pace. They’re doing the math at the kitchen table, wondering what they might have to cut next just to keep the lights on. That fear is real, and too many families have stopped believing that anyone in Washington is listening,” Congresswoman Trahan said when the bill was marked up in the Energy and Commerce Committee in July. 
The Ratepayer Protection Act now moves to the Senate for consideration.
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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Joaquin Castro (20th District of Texas)

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Ilhan Omar (DFL-MN)

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed language from Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) to protect the future of the Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock in the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA). This legislation provides authority for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) to carry out water resources development projects and conduct studies to provide improvements to the nation’s ports, inland waterways, locks, dams, flood protection, ecosystem restoration, and other water resources infrastructure.

The language resolves a decades-long concern for local and state governments regarding a vital piece of abandoned infrastructure underneath the Mississippi River, just upstream of St. Anthony Falls. The cutoff wall was constructed by the Corps on an emergency basis in the 1870s in order to stabilize the bed of the Mississippi River after a failed attempt to create additional tunnels for hydro mills led to a rapid collapse of St. Anthony Falls. A recent study by the St. Anthony Falls Lab assessed the integrity of the cutoff wall, while highlighting that ongoing questions about ownership cast doubt on who would be responsible for maintenance and evaluation of this important piece of infrastructure. Rep. Omar’s language in this bill will clarify that the Corps owns the cutoff wall and is responsible for its maintenance. 

“I’m thrilled to see my language about the cutoff wall included in the House passage of the Water Resources Development Act,” said Rep. Omar. “This passage addresses longstanding concerns shared by the City of Minneapolis, Hennepin County, and the State of Minnesota about a piece of infrastructure that is vital to the stability of the river at the heart of the Twin Cities. It builds on our work to protect this historic segment of the Mississippi waterfront, and ensures this sacred site will be safe and stable for our future generations. I’m grateful for our community, local, state, and federal partners that made this victory possible.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jared Huffman Representing the 2nd District of California

Washington, D.C. – Today, Representative Jared Huffman voted to pass the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2026. This piece of bipartisan legislation authorizes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ civil works program while advancing critical water infrastructure, ecosystem restoration, and climate resilience projects nationwide.

“We’re in a tough time when it comes to water policy. President Trump has tried to roll back years of progress on sustainable water management, clawed back funding for critical water infrastructure projects, and tried at every opportunity to stoke water wars, especially in California. Meanwhile, water managers throughout the west are dealing with the fallout of the worsening climate crisis — record droughts, extreme floods, rising seas — while trying to maintain and modernize deteriorating infrastructure,” said Rep. Huffman. “WRDA is one of Congress’ best tools for tackling these complex water challenges – and I’m happy to say that I was able to get big wins in this year’s WRDA, including reversing a wrongheaded Trump edict against Army Corps staff communicating with members of Congress, and advancing important projects in my district to restore wetlands, boost water supplies, modernize our infrastructure, and increase flood and drought resiliency.”

The 2026 WRDA legislation authorizes new water infrastructure projects and studies while modernizing the Army Corps through reforms that improve project delivery, expand nature-based solutions, strengthen environmental mitigation, and help communities better prepare for climate impacts. The bill successfully passed the House floor today with widespread bipartisan support.

The legislation includes several priorities championed by Rep. Huffman, including:

 

• Restoring open and timely communication between U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Members of Congress, by reversing the Trump administration’s restrictions that impeded communication between the executive branch and Congress.

• Addressing deferred maintenance at small and local harbors by requiring the Army Corps to assess their facilities and identify opportunities for interested local governments to assume their operation and maintenance.

The bill also advances several Northern California projects championed by Rep. Huffman, including:

• Petaluma River Marsh Restoration, Sea Level Rise Adaptation, and Beneficial Reuse Study: Accelerates a study to restore tidal wetlands using beneficially reused dredged sediment, improving habitat, reducing flood risk, and increasing resilience to sea level rise.

• Ellis Creek Wetlands Rehabilitation Feasibility Study:Expedites planning to restore degraded wetlands, strengthen natural flood protection, and safeguard critical wastewater infrastructure through nature-based solutions.

• Coyote Valley Dam Feasibility Study: Advances evaluation of improvements to increase flood protection while expanding water storage and strengthening long-term drought resilience.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Johnson (LA-04)

House Republicans Put Maximum Pressure on Putin’s War Machine

House Republicans passed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, sending it to President Trump’s desk