"President Donald Trump’s political grudges are complicating Congress’ efforts to advance a new Water Resources Development Act."

"Legislation to approve water projects is typically one of the most bipartisan bills to pass Congress, but advancing a package this year may be harder thanks to President Donald Trump’s penchant for withholding funding from his political enemies.

Lawmakers have been approving Water Resources Development Act bills on schedule every two years since 2014 — securing popular levee, harbor, lock, dam and water treatment system projects home for their states and districts.

But neither the House nor the Senate have unveiled their proposals yet, and time is running out for bipartisan legislation before congressional action typically grinds to a halt during a contentious election year. Meanwhile, some lawmakers are already trying to use the package as a vehicle for addressing grievances with the administration.

“WRDA is likely to be more complicated this year, not because Congress lacks interest in passing a bill, but because several pressures are converging at once,” said Julie Ufner, CEO of the National Waterways Conference, an advocacy group that lobbies on the measure."

Miranda Willson reports for E&E News June 2, 2026. [2]