Fleischmann Remarks at FY25 Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Bill Subcommittee Markup
Good morning. I’d like to welcome everyone to the subcommittee markup of the fiscal year 2025 Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies appropriations bill.
The FY25 Energy and Water bill reflects our continuing commitment to our national security, energy security, and economic competitiveness. The recommendation totals $59.2 billion, an increase of nearly $1 billion above fiscal year 2024 and a reduction of $139 million below the President’s budget request.
The bill delivers strong support for our national defense and provides $25.5 billion—an increase of $1.3 billion above FY24—for the National Nuclear Security Administration. The bill prioritizes nuclear weapons activities, fully funding all major stockpile modernization activities and providing additional funds for plutonium pit production and the nuclear Sea-Launched Cruise Missile (SLCM-N).
We continue our commitment to remediation of contaminated sites by funding Department of Energy and Corps of Engineers cleanup activities at a total of $8.5 billion.
The bill also advances our nation’s energy security, including $1.8 billion for the base Nuclear Energy programs. We also provide additional funding for nuclear demonstration projects specifically.
We are at a pivotal moment in the development of nuclear energy technologies in the United States—the success of which are critical to regaining international dominance in the nuclear market and for our own domestic energy security.
We cannot cede leadership in nuclear energy to China and Russia. We must successfully demonstrate advanced reactors for commercial deployment here in the U.S.
To meet this national security imperative and ensure the domestic nuclear industry continues to move forward, the bill provides funding sufficient to complete the demonstration projects that Congress initiated.
The Fossil Energy and Carbon Management account includes one of the largest investments focused on mining production technologies for critical minerals extraction in decades. These investments are essential to secure our domestic supply chain and reduce reliance on foreign sources.
This Energy and Water bill also strengthens our economic competitiveness.
The bill includes $9.96 billion for the Army Corps of Engineers, including full funding of Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund activities and the highest priority, ongoing Inland Waterways Trust Fund construction projects to ensure the safe flow of commerce.
Funding for the Bureau of Reclamation totals $1.93 billion, prioritized to projects that increase water supply and support drought resilience.
Within the funding for the Corps and Reclamation, the bill also includes a total of $899 million for Community Project Funding.
The bill continues support for scientific research, providing $8.4 billion for the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, an increase of $150 million above fiscal year 2024, to ensure America remains at the forefront of scientific discovery and innovation. Our national security and economic vitality are built upon our nation’s world-leading scientific and technological leadership.
The bill includes provisions aimed at countering Biden Administration actions that would stifle the private sector and exacerbate inflation. The bill prohibits modifications to Corps of Engineers nationwide permits critical for oil and gas development and stops DOE’s mandate to phase out fossil fuel use at federal buildings. The bill also rejects the Biden Administration’s harmful pause on LNG exports by removing the Department of Energy’s role in the LNG export application review process—a position that has bipartisan support.
The bill also includes a number of provisions to protect American resources and intellectual property from falling into the hands of foreign adversaries.
I would like to thank all the members of the subcommittee for their valuable input in helping to shape this bill. The subcommittee received more than 5,100 requests from Members for programmatic funding levels and bill and report language, and we have attempted to address as many of these requests as possible—for both Republicans and Democrats—within the overall priorities for the bill.
Last but certainly not least, I would like to thank Ranking Member Kaptur for her partnership; Chairman Cole and Ranking Member DeLauro for their leadership throughout this process; and staff on both sides of the aisle for their hard work on this bill.
