Fleischmann Remarks at Budget Hearing on Army Corps of Engineers and Bureau of Reclamation

It is my pleasure to welcome Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Adam Telle and Chief of Engineers Lieutenant General Butch Graham to discuss the Fiscal Year 2027 budget request for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. I am equally pleased to welcome Assistant Secretary for Water Science at the Department of the Interior Andrea Travnicek to discuss the Fiscal Year 2027 budget request for the Bureau of Reclamation and Central Utah Project. General Graham, it is great to see you again in front of the Energy and Water Subcommittee. Assistant Secretary Telle and Assistant Secretary Travnicek, it is a pleasure to have you here before us for the first time. I look forward to working with you to advance our nation’s water resources for the benefit of all Americans.

This Subcommittee has a long history of supporting the water infrastructure needs that our nation relies upon to ensure America maintains its competitive advantage in transporting goods, protecting life and property, and supplying water to our farmers and citizens. In FY26, we once again demonstrated our commitment to these goals by enacting a bill that made strong investments in our water resources. I look forward to hearing from all of you on how you will ensure these investments made in FY26 will be managed efficiently.

I was especially proud of the $213 million in funding I was able to secure to advance the Chickamauga Lock inland navigation project in my district closer to operational status. While this project has not been without its challenges, I am encouraged that with the Corps’ partnership and the leadership of the Trump Administration, Assistant Secretary Telle, and General Graham, the project will prove to be a success and provide some lessons learned that can inform future project delivery on our inland system nationwide. 

For FY27, the Administration has provided a budget request for the Corps that totals $6.7 billion, a level even with the Administration’s request last year, but a reduction of over $3 billion from our FY26 enacted level. Within the $6.7 billion total, $1.7 billion is once again provided for Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund eligible activities, less than half of the maximum offset provided for in law. I look forward to working in FY27 to ensure adequate funding to maintain our nation’s ports and harbors to their authorized dimensions. 

I am pleased to see the Administration focusing on advancing the highest priority studies and construction projects in the Corps’ primary mission areas of navigation, flood control, and ecosystem restoration that provide the most national benefits. I look forward to hearing more about the Corps’ initiatives to improve transparency within its enterprise and deliver these projects on time and under budget. For the Bureau of Reclamation and Central Utah Project, the FY27 budget request proposes a total of $1.3 billion, a reduction of approximately 22% below the enacted level. I am concerned that at this level, we will not be able to address the most pressing water resources needs across the West. 

While I do not represent a Reclamation state, I understand the importance of robust investment in western water infrastructure, and the benefit provided to the entire nation by Reclamation projects that supply water and power to our communities and farmers. 

I appreciate our witnesses for being here today to explain your budget requests and discuss the Administration’s priorities for your respective agencies. I look forward to working with you and my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to develop a bill that addresses our nation’s most pressing water resources development challenges.