Sponsors (9)
The resolution gives coastal communities and governments stronger scientific and political grounds to pursue federal resilience investments and climate action, but it also heightens near-term economic costs, property-market impacts, and political friction that could burden homeowners, taxpayers, and local planners.
Coastal communities, local governments, and homeowners: gain stronger justification to secure expanded federal coastal resilience investments (e.g., funding for seawalls, relocations, infrastructure) that increase protection for homes and critical infrastructure.
Local governments, taxpayers, and homeowners: obtain improved evidence for disaster recovery and managed-retreat planning, which can help reduce future emergency response costs and lower risks to life and property.
Taxpayers, homeowners, and policymakers: receive a clear linkage between fossil fuel emissions and sea-level rise that can be used to support stronger climate-mitigation policies and long-term risk reduction for coastal flooding and property damage.
Homeowners and taxpayers: could face direct costs from adaptation actions (retreat, seawalls, buyouts), including higher insurance premiums, increased local taxes, or compulsory property buyouts.
Homeowners and renters in coastal areas: may see depressed property values and reduced availability or affordability of insurance as large-scale displacement risk is identified.
Taxpayers and the federal budget: could experience increased federal spending to support adaptation or mitigation implied by the findings, potentially raising taxes or diverting funds from other programs.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Records findings that sea level is accelerating, largely driven by fossil-fuel emissions, and outlines projected sea-level rise and coastal risks through 2100 and beyond.
Declares congressional findings that global and U.S. sea levels are rising faster now than in the past, and that the primary driver of recent rise is warming from fossil fuel emissions. It summarizes observed trends, future sea-level projections under different emissions scenarios, potential ice-sheet contributions, and the risks to coastal populations, infrastructure, freshwater supplies, and the economy.
Introduced December 17, 2025 by Sheldon Whitehouse · Last progress December 17, 2025