Five Major Wins for Rivers in the 2026 Fiscal Year Appropriations Bills
Earlier this year, President Trump signed H.R. 7148, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, which included Interior and Environment, Energy and Water, Commerce, Justice, and Science bills. With this package, Congress has now completed work on 11 out of 12 annual appropriations bills that fund government agencies and programs through September 30 – leaving Homeland Security as the final bill yet to be negotiated.
The Fiscal Year 2026 agreement reflects a compromise between the House and the Senate. The enacted legislation differs drastically from the White House budget request, which called for cuts in funding and staff to critical river programs. The new agreement maintains annual funding for EPA, NOAA, NPS, USFWS, and many other agencies that manage river programs, infrastructure, wetlands and watersheds, and implement habitat conservation.
While there is still work to be done, we wanted to share 5 Key wins for rivers that came from the Fiscal Year 2026 Agreement.
Key Wins for Rivers:
- Prioritized place-based restoration initiatives
The Interior bill preserves the EPA’s State Revolving Funds, which provide states and Tribes opportunities to modernize upgrades to water infrastructure. It also provides increased funds to the Chesapeake Bay Program at $96 million, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative at $369 million, and the Delaware Watershed Conservation Fund at nearly $11.8 million. These increases reinforce a clear preference for locally led science, conservation, and restoration efforts.
- Preserved infrastructure repairs, fish passage, and habitat conservation
The Commerce, Justice, and Science bill includes $65 million for the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund, and nearly $58 million for NOAA’s Community- Based Programs. The National Fish Habitat Partnership (NFHP) received $7.2 million under the Interior appropriations bill. Together, these programs support resource management and the removal of unsafe or obsolete aquatic barriers. Even modest increases promote a shared goal: improve recreational fishing, strengthen regional economies, and balance habitat conservation.
- Sustained investments for nature-based solutions
The Energy and Water bill sustains $6 million for the Cooperative Watershed Management Program (CWMP). The CWMP helps communities form watershed groups to plan and implement projects that improve watershed health and fish and wildlife habitat. An example of this being implemented is the Big Thompson Watershed Coalition in northern Colorado, which used CWMP funding to build local capacity and conduct restoration planning while identifying watershed data gaps to support potential project designs in the future. Additionally, the bill increases funding to the Central Valley Project Restoration Fund to $65.3 million and also provides $7.5 million for the Army Corps’ Engineering with Nature.
- Continued focus on Wild and Scenic Rivers and healthy ecosystems
To maintain strong local-state-federal partnerships, the Interior bill provides nearly $5.7 million for the National Park Service’s Partnership Wild and Scenic Program. The funding ensures the approved conservation plans of these rivers will continue to be effectively and efficiently implemented. This includes the Kissimmee and Little Manatee Rivers, located in Florida, which are under study now, demonstrating growing demand for Wild and Scenic River designations.
- Progress for flood relief across rural communities
Aligned with the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the agriculture appropriations bill provides $50 million to the Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations program, which supports projects that protect and restore watersheds. Language in the bill report directs funds for increased fish and wildlife habitat and improvements to in-stream river flows. An additional $3 million goes to the Watershed Rehabilitation (REHAB) program to help address aging, unsafe dams.
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Costly Concerns
These wins come at a time when our nation is facing a historic Western water crisis, major flooding in Washington and West Virginia, and crumbling sewer infrastructure in the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. and Maryland. Cuts across the federal agencies are going to be felt for years to come. While imperfect, this is a straightforward package that sustains several priority river, water, conservation, and regional ecosystem programs. Due to the Senate’s bipartisan leadership, Congress rejected the most devastating cuts proposed by the White House.
What’s Next?
American Rivers will work with agencies and communities to ensure these funding provisions are interpreted and implemented successfully in ways that support river health and grow our economy. These decisions impact how projects are carried out on the water.
At the same time, we’re gearing up for the Fiscal Year 2027 appropriations cycle, which will be another challenging year due to ongoing constraints surrounding staffing and capacity across the federal agencies.
