Washington, D.C. – Today, Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Chuck Fleischmann (TN-03) and the House Appropriations Committee released the Fiscal Year 2025 Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies appropriations bill. The bill will be considered in subcommittee tomorrow, June 28th, at 8:30 am EST. The markup will be live-streamed and can be found on the Committee’s website.
Energy and Water Development Subcommittee Chairman Chuck Fleischmann said, “Our nation faces many challenges. Three of the most critical challenges we face are maintaining a safe and reliable nuclear deterrent, advancing American energy security, and supporting robust water resources improvements nationwide. In tight fiscal times, we must ensure that every precious and limited taxpayer dollar is properly used to strengthen America while cutting wasteful and unnecessary spending that has contributed to record inflation. I’m proud that the Fiscal Year 2025 Energy and Water Development appropriations bill continues to build off the work of our FY24 bill to strengthen America’s strategic nuclear stockpile, revitalize our ability to enrich uranium domestically, invest in our long-term energy security, and maintain our country’s ports and inland waterways. I thank Chairman Cole for his leadership and my colleagues on the Appropriations Committee for their contributions to this bill and look forward to moving the FY25 Energy and Water bill through the legislative process to enactment.”
Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole said, “This FY25 bill strengthens our national security, economy, and energy sector. Defense programs are prioritized as we modernize the nuclear weapons stockpile and infrastructure of the United States. We support America’s water resources, including waterways important for commerce, and the vital work of the Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation. Investments for the enhancement and expansion of domestic energy sources are supported, while programs with no accountability and progressive bloat are rejected. Now more than ever, we need to lead in cutting-edge research and our nuclear deterrence—and Chairman Fleischmann’s legislation is critical to those tenets.”
Fiscal Year 2025 Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act:
The Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act provides a total discretionary allocation of $59.190 billion, which is $999 million (1.7%) above the Fiscal Year 2024 enacted level and $139 million (-0.2%) below the President’s Budget Request including emergency amounts requested.
The defense portion of the allocation is $34.193 billion, which is $906 million (2.7%) above the Fiscal Year 2024 enacted level and $214 million (0.6%) above the President’s Budget Request. The non-defense portion of the allocation is $24.997 billion, which is $93 million (0.4%) above the FY24 enacted level and $353 million (1.4%) below the President’s Budget Request.
The bill prioritizes funding for agencies and programs that bolster our national security, energy security, and economic competitiveness.
Key Takeaways
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Bolsters our national security by upholding the nation’s nuclear deterrence posture, including:
- $20.339 billion for the continued modernization of the nuclear weapons stockpile and infrastructure.
- $2.119 billion to support the operational nuclear naval fleet, Columbia-class submarine reactor development, and research and development for current and future generations of nuclear-powered warships.
- $2.445 billion to reduce the danger of hostile nations or terrorist groups acquiring nuclear devices, radiological dispersal devices, weapons-usable material, and nuclear expertise.
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Strengthens our energy security and the national economy by:
- Robustly funding small modular reactor and advanced reactor demonstration projects, key to regaining international dominance in the nuclear market.
- Supporting one of the largest investments specifically focused on mining production technologies for critical minerals extraction in decades, reducing reliance on foreign sources.
- Rejecting the Biden Administration’s harmful pause on new LNG exports by removing the Department of Energy’s role in the LNG export application review process.
- Prohibiting modifications to Corps of Engineers nationwide permits critical for oil and gas development.
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Safeguarding energy and technology assets from being used by foreign adversaries, such as Russia and China.
- Prohibiting the Administration from selling crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to the Chinese Communist Party.
- Prohibiting the Department of Energy from providing financial assistance to any entity of concern.
- Prohibiting access to U.S. nuclear weapons production facilities by citizens of China and Russia.
- Prohibiting the procurement of office equipment manufactured by Chinese companies.
- Facilitating the efficient transport of goods and commodities through improvements and maintenance of ports and waterways.
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Focuses the Executive Branch on its core responsibilities by:
- Mandating transparency from the Biden Administration in its implementation of the revised definition of Waters of the United States (WOTUS) and the Supreme Court’s decision in Sackett v. EPA.
- Rejecting the Biden Administration’s efforts to undermine water supply security in California.
- Rejecting the Biden Administration’s wasteful spending on climate change programs and prohibiting implementation of costly and impractical clean energy mandates.
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Supports American values and principles by:
- Allowing for the lawful carry of firearms of Corps of Engineers land in a manner consistent with state law and consistent with existing rules for other public land management agencies.
- Prohibiting the Biden Administration’s executive orders on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
- Prohibiting funds to promote or advance critical race theory.
- Allowing only the American flag and other official flags to be flown over federal government facilities.
- Prohibiting funds to implement COVID-19 mask and vaccine mandates.
A summary of the bill is available here.
Bill text is available here.
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This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://fleischmann.house.gov/media/press-releases/energy-and-water-appropriations-chairman-chuck-fleischmann-and-house-committee-on-appropriations-releases-fiscal-year-2025-energy-and-water-bill