NAM to House: Advance Biennial Water Infrastructure Bill

July 8, 2026


The Water Resources Development Act of 2026 “provides certainty needed to advance critical water infrastructure projects” and should be advanced, the NAM recently told the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

What’s going on: WRDA, which comes up for reauthorization every two years and has significant bipartisan support, enables the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to shore up U.S. ports, harbors and inland waterways.

  • This year’s bill “represents an important investment in America’s long-term economic competitiveness through improvements to navigation infrastructure, flood risk management and project delivery,” the NAM told the committee ahead of a scheduled markup of the legislation. The markup was later postponed due to other House activity.
  • Congress has enacted a bipartisan WRDA every other year since 2014.

What’s in it: This year’s iteration emphasizes strengthening ports and inland waterways and making more tools available to nonfederal project sponsors, improving project delivery and making the USACE more effective and efficient.

Why it’s important: “These investments are critical to maintaining the reliability of the nation’s freight transportation network and supporting the movement of raw materials, energy products, agricultural commodities and manufactured goods,” the NAM said.

  • New, efficient waterway structures make supply chains stronger, support domestic manufacturing and improve the mobility of freight so that manufacturers can compete globally.
  • Furthermore, waterways managed by the USACE generate significant “economic and community benefits for regions across the country,” the NAM added, including to support economic activity from recreational boating.

The final word: The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee should advance the Water Resources Development Act of 2026, NAM Vice President of Domestic Policy Chris Phalen and NAM Director of Transportation and Infrastructure Policy Kirbie Ferrell said.

  • The bill “support[s] manufacturers and industrial sectors across the country. Maintaining the biennial reauthorization cycle is essential to providing certainty for project delivery and for the communities and industries that depend on these investments.”