Sponsor
Chuck Fleischmann
Representative · R-TN
Representative · R-TN
Official title: Making appropriations for energy and water development and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2026, and for other purposes.
Introduced July 21, 2025 by Chuck Fleischmann · Last progress September 8, 2025
The bill prioritizes increased Congressional control, transparency, and policy restrictions over agency discretion—improving oversight and protecting certain local and environmental interests while increasing administrative burden, reducing agencies' flexibility to respond quickly, and risking delays or higher costs for projects and emergency responses.
Taxpayers and Congress get substantially increased transparency and advance notice about agency fund transfers, reprogrammings, and large awards through required monthly/quarterly/semiannual reports and pre-award notifications.
State and local governments and taxpayers are better protected from unilateral executive spending changes because the bill limits agencies' ability to reprogram funds without Appropriations Committee approval.
Rural and local communities' water quality and public health are protected by requiring San Luis Unit discharges to meet California water quality standards and by increasing authorization levels for wastewater/groundwater reuse and desalination programs.
Most Americans (through their state/local governments and federal programs) will face reduced agency flexibility to reallocate funds quickly for emergencies, cost overruns, or urgent needs because of stricter reprogramming limits and required prior approvals.
Federal employees and program administrators will face substantially increased administrative burden from frequent reporting, 3‑day notifications, prior-approval processes, and monthly/quarterly filings, which can slow project delivery and regulatory work.
Local governments, contractors, water users, and taxpayers may incur higher costs or shifted liabilities because the bill changes repayment/reimbursable rules (e.g., San Luis Unit), caps or constrains reprogramming for overruns, and increases authorizations that may lead to larger future appropriations.
Based on analysis of 10 sections of legislative text.
Imposes new reprogramming limits, notice and reporting rules, and targeted policy prohibitions on FY2026 appropriations across Corps, Interior, DOE, NRC and other accounts.
Limits how federal agencies may move and spend funds provided in the bill for FY2026, imposing new reprogramming approval thresholds, reporting requirements, and prior-notice rules for the Army Corps of Engineers, Department of the Interior (Bureau of Reclamation), Department of Energy, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and other covered agencies. It also adds targeted policy restrictions including bans on certain DEI expenditures, limits on consolidated interim storage of commercial spent nuclear fuel without host-community and tribal consent, prohibitions on federal funding for pornographic computer networks, and other administrative controls.