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

Floor Speech

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Mr. CLOUD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the fiscal year 2026 Energy and Water Appropriations Act.

As vice chair of the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Subcommittee, I am encouraged by this bill's historic commitment to unleashing American energy dominance, while also responsibly stewarding taxpayer dollars.

We are at a time when our Nation is at an energy crossroads. Certainly, as we work to win the AI race against China, energy dominance is mandatory. This bill appropriately allocates resources to invest in our nuclear capabilities, mining production, water resources, and more.

Specifically, this bill repurposes wasteful Biden administration spending on things like unproductive carbon capture toward real infrastructure and energy production capabilities. This includes $1.785 billion in total resources for nuclear energy technology, $720 million in investments for fossil energy production, and $190 million to improve cybersecurity and grid resilience.

Unleashing American energy dominance means truly building our production and infrastructure to meet the modern demands, not just coming up with more and more regulation.

A prime example of real building is found in the $10.435 billion secured for the Army Corps of Engineers and their projects such as improvements to the Matagorda and Corpus Christi Ship Channels in south Texas. The Port of Corpus Christi, for example, is the leading energy exporter in the country, and its strength is essential to our Nation's energy security.

In addition to these critical energy investments, this bill points investments toward desalination projects, drought response, and rural water supplies so that our communities can receive much-needed relief and long-term stability.

This bill gets us on the right path in accomplishing the Trump administration's goal of energy dominance and leaves behind wasteful and destructive, often counterproductive, Biden administration spending and regulation that created things like the Office of Energy Justice and Equity and crippled our efficient and cost-saving energy production capabilities.

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Mr. CLOUD. Mr. Speaker, I applaud the Chair for his diligent work on this piece, and I thank him for his guidance on this committee. I look forward to our continued work, and I encourage support of this legislation.

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