Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; and Interior and Environment Appropriations Act, 2026

Floor Speech

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Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I very much thank Ranking Member DeLauro for yielding time. I also thank Chairman Cole and the chair of our committee, Charles Fleischmann, for their cooperation. Please let me thank our diligent staff for all their hard work on this bill, both majority and minority, including from the minority staff Scott McKee, Adam Wilson, Ippo Dellatolas, and on my personal staff Jed Bullock, Kaitlin Ulin, and Margaret McInnis.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the fiscal year 2026 Energy and Water Development bill, a measure that chooses progress over retreat, American energy independence in perpetuity inside our borders, not dependence on foreign energy supplies.

At $63.3 billion, this legislation provides a critical $2.4 billion increase over last year. Our bill aims to help address significantly rising energy and water bills coast to coast for families, as well as climate-caused water shortages in the West and across our Nation, with crop losses from coast to coast and increasing flooding across our beloved country.

Our Nation must help communities reimagine affordable power grids and water conveyance systems. We must also assure technologies like artificial intelligence and data centers don't bankrupt the ability of families to afford to live, nor take our society down dangerous roads without a roadmap.

For those of us from the industrial and agricultural heartland, energy and water drive the lifeblood of our economies. This bill invests $10.4 billion in the indefatigable Army Corps of Engineers. That is $3.8 billion more than the Trump administration's shortsighted request.

It includes more dollars for harbor maintenance. It ensures that our Great Lakes stay vibrant, our ports on all coasts stay open, and our water infrastructure is built to last for Mother Nature's complexities in this century and beyond. Our bill maintains our commitment for critical regional commissions and authorities to build America forward in the underinvested corners of America right here at home.

While the White House astoundingly proposed eliminating the Weatherization Assistance Program entirely, this bill restores and increases that funding to $329 million, a commonsense investment that puts an average of $372 back into the pockets of thousands of struggling households in every single congressional district. Every dollar counts to make ends meet nowadays in an era marred by ill- considered Trump-inflicted tariffs that make living in America more expensive as prices rise.

To tackle the cost-of-living crisis and affordability head-on, this bill provides an additional $375 million for electric grid modernization to help reduce prices to target the primary driver of skyrocketing utility bills and ensure every American has access to reliable, affordable power.

This bill provides $3.1 billion for energy efficiency and renewable energy programs, an increase of $1.3 billion over the Republican bill. Our goal seeks to secure U.S. energy independence in perpetuity to drive down prices for the long haul.

Further, with $8.4 billion allocated for the Department of Energy's Office of Science, we invest in the next generation of technological breakthroughs. In the past, we have had some--like fracking, for example, that unleashed the gas deposits of this country, but we want those investments inside our borders. American innovators, universities, and labs--not foreign adversaries overseas--must command the new energy frontiers and not lose the edge on inventing our common future.

Finally, our bill provides an increase to $25.4 billion for the National Nuclear Security Administration.

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Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for allowing me to focus on our National Nuclear Security Administration, where we must maintain safe, secure, and credible nuclear deterrents that power our unparalleled, remarkable nuclear Navy--thank God for them--and counter the threat of nuclear proliferation and terrorism.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill. America can and must meet the new-age frontiers of energy and water. Let us invest in our workers, protect our water, and power our future. Future generations are depending on all of us to pass this bill.

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