January 5, 2026
Latest News
Public Works Notes as Congress Returns to D.C. This Week
- The federal government is operating under a continuing resolution (CR) that is set to expire Jan. 30;
- Congress enacted only three FY26 appropriations bills before its holiday break:
- Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and related agencies
- Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and related agencies
- Legislative Branch
- The remaining FY26 appropriations bills (of which several include funding for public works priorities) are:
- Transportation, Housing and Urban Development
- Energy and Water
- Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
- Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education
- Interior-Environment
- Commerce, Justice and Science
- Defense
- Financial Services
- State, Foreign Ops and National Security, Dept. of State
- The House may act this week on a three-bill minibus that would fund Commerce, Justice, Science, Interior-Environment, and Energy-Water;
- The House has passed each of the 12 spending bills, and the Senate recently introduced language to fund DHS operations through the remainder of FY26.
FEMA Announces $250 Million in Grant Funding for World Cup Grant Drone Program
- The Federal Emergency Management Agency said eleven states hosting FIFA World Cup 2026 matches will receive $250M in grant funding through the Counter Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-UAS) Grant Program;
- C-UAS awards were established through the enactment of Public Law (PL) 119-21, which is authorized to provide $500M in grant funding over two years to enhance state and local capabilities to combat unmanned aircraft systems or drones;
- The remaining $250M is expected to be distributed to all U.S. states and territories with an expanded focus on building detection and response capacity.
FY26 BUILD Grant Program Open for Applications
- The U.S. Dept. of Transportation (DOT) has released a notice of funding opportunity for the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grant program;
- State and local governments are eligible to apply, and the grant funding is intended for projects with a significant local or regional impact and to improve transportation infrastructure;
- Funding may be used for planning or constructing surface transportation infrastructure projects to improve safety; environmental sustainability; quality of life; mobility and community connectivity; economic competitiveness and opportunity;
- The application deadline is 5 p.m. ET, Feb. 24, and additional information about the program is available here.
House Passes NEPA Amendments
- The House has passed the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act with bipartisan support;
- The SPEED Act would amend the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to clarify ambiguous provisions and facilitate a more efficient, effective, and timely environmental review process;
- Through APWA advocacy, additional language emphasizing the importance of cooperating agencies and local government voice in the environmental review process has been incorporated into the proposal;
- Environmental permitting reform is a priority of the administration and Congressional leadership. APWA expects more bills on NEPA reform in the coming year.
On the Horizon
(All times ET)
- Jan. 7 at 1 p.m., the Federal Highway Administration and the National Operations Center of Excellence will present another webinar in the Road Weather Spotlight Series, “Avalanche Forecast, Mitigation, and Research. Register here.
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