Today, the House Appropriations Committee approved the Fiscal Year 2026 Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act with a vote of 35 to 27. The bill allocates $57.3 billion in discretionary funding, prioritizing U.S. national security, American energy dominance, and economic competitiveness.
Energy and Water Development Subcommittee Chairman Chuck Fleischmann commented on the bill's importance for national security and economic prosperity: "To achieve America’s new Golden Age, we must safeguard our national security, unleash American energy dominance, and increase economic prosperity for all our citizens." He emphasized that the bill includes historic investments in national security and nuclear deterrence while reducing reliance on foreign sources of critical minerals.
Chairman Tom Cole noted the bill's focus on energy costs: "This FY26 Energy and Water bill is focused on lowering energy costs and advancing affordable, reliable, and secure power for the nation." He stressed the importance of domestic energy production for America's economic strength and national security.
The bill provides $20.662 billion for modernizing nuclear weapons stockpile infrastructure and prohibits certain transactions with China related to energy resources. It also codifies President Trump’s executive actions by prohibiting funding for programs like Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Critical Race Theory, as well as other measures supporting his administration's agenda.
Amendments adopted during the markup include technical changes to the bill (Fleischmann #1), adjustments related to recreation fees (Clyde #1), and increased funding for Regional Commissions (Moore #2).
