CONGRESS BACK IN SESSION, ENERGY & WATER BILL TO BE ON HOUSE FLOOR NEXT WEEK

With the Congressional recess coming to a close, H.R. 4553, or the fiscal year (FY) 2026 bill on Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee on Appropriations, is set to be considered on the House floor next week (week of September 1). The Bill was reported favorably out of committee last month. The current continuing resolution (CR) expires on September 30, meaning Congress must pass all of the appropriations bills before October 1, extend the CR, or risk a government shutdown. 

The Energy and Water Appropriations Bill provides the funding for cleanup activities at every cleanup site in the country, as well as NNSA mission sites, and other DOE mission sites. All of the appropriations bills, including H.R. 4553, must be passed by the House before they can make their way into a combined “omnibus” bill that must be passed by both houses. The Senate has yet to announce the allocations and mark-up schedules for its version of Energy and Water Development Bill. 

The Appropriations Bills can only allocate funding below or equal to the ceiling the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) determines and recommends. Last month, the Senate Armed Services Committee released its version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The NDAA authorizes what amounts can be appropriated up to for programs dependent upon Defense funding, including the Environmental Management and National Nuclear Security Agency programs. 

The timeline above displays the NDAA process. This NDAA serves to inform what should constitute defense funding and by what processes and policies they should be authorized. Authorization directly affects the amount of money federal agencies can spend for environmental cleanup of defense sites and other nuclear activities. Authorization is the amount of money agencies are authorized to spend; appropriations are the amounts of money agencies and departments are given to spend. 

In both chambers, once markup is finished and the NDAA is reported favorably out of committee, it will be sent to be heard on the floor. If one chamber passes its version of the NDAA first, it will go to the other for consideration. A conference committee between both chambers will then be established to work out differences between the House and Senate versions. Afterwards, the bill is presented to the President to either be passed or vetoed. The NDAA only authorizes spending, and Congress must pass a full-year appropriations bill to truly provide funds to these programs. 

ECA staff will continue to monitor progress on FY2026 Appropriations and Authorization and provide updates as they develop. You can learn more about energy appropriations process, the NDAA, and other budget issues on our website.