Washington Report – July 14, 2025

Latest News

APWA Sends Funding Priorities to Congressional Appropriators

APWA has sent a letter to Congressional Appropriators and committee staff outlining the association’s funding priorities for FY26;
The letter, among other things, calls for:
- Maintaining already appropriated FY25 funding
- Continuing to fund infrastructure programs at IIJA levels
- Fully fund agencies and programs critical to emergency management, transportation, and water resources operations
House and Senate appropriations committees will review and vote on multiple FY26 appropriations bills over the next few weeks;
The “On The Horizon” section of this report has links to this week’s FY26 appropriations hearings, and APWA Government Affairs is tracking them all.

APWA Op-Ed on Fixing FEMA Published in Key Regional Newspapers

APWA’s op-ed calling for improvements to the federal disaster response system, including support for the Fixing FEMA Act, was recently published in the Kansas City Star, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, and The Telegraph in Macon, GA;
The piece, by APWA CEO Scott D. Grayson, CAE, highlights the critical need for faster, more coordinated federal response in the face of escalating natural disasters, emphasizing the voice of public works professionals on the front lines;
You can read the full op-ed in the Star-Telegram here.

Take Action to Protect Vital Water Infrastructure Funding

In early May, the President’s FY26 budget proposal recommended cutting 90% of the Clean Water and Drinking Water state revolving funds (SRFs) and defunding the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA);
APWA is calling on you to ACT NOW and tell your federal representatives to support full funding for WIFIA and the SRFs;
Sign up to receive APWA legislative action alerts by texting PWX to 52886.

Senate Appropriations Committee Passes USDA FY26 Spending Bill

The Senate Appropriations Committee passed the FY26 budget for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA);
The Rural Utility Service grants fund water and wastewater infrastructure in small and rural communities and is known to be one of the most effective programs of its kind and is widely used across the country;
Funding for the Rural Utility is part of APWA’s Water Resiliency Public Policy Priorities for the 119th Congress;
The Senate’s budget includes $1.02B for direct loans, $155M more than the House’s USDA budget, and $50M for guaranteed loans, the same as the House’s USDA budget;
Historically, these loans have been funded at $860M and $50M, respectively;
Because the House and Senate funding levels are different, they will need to be reconciled before a final FY26 budget can be passed.

Courts Extend Deadline for EPA PFAS Lawsuit

The EPA has filed a motion with the U.S. Court of Appeals for a 45-day extension in the lawsuit against the 2024 final rule designating PFAS substances as hazardous;
This will be the EPA’s fourth extension since the Trump Administration has taken office and pledged to improve the Biden-era rule with a focus on “polluter pays” principles.

New SAFECOM Emergency Communications Guide Available

APWA partner SAFECOM, along with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and the National Council of Statewide Interoperability Coordinators (NCSWIC) has released an Emergency Communications System Lifecycle Planning Guide (Lifecycle Guide) and Lifecycle Planning Tool;
The guide includes recommendations for agencies interested in building, maintaining, and operating an emergency communications system through decommissioning and replacement;
Each phase of the system lifecycle planning model – pre-planning, project planning, request for proposals and acquisition, implementation, support, maintenance, and sustainment, end-of-lifecycle assessment and replacement, and disposition – includes best practices, considerations, and recommended checklists to assist public safety agencies embarking on system lifecycle planning;
APWA serves a prominent role with SAFECOM in the development of materials and information dissemination, with Phil Mann of Gainesville, Florida, serving as APWA’s SAFECOM representative.

House Expected to Vote on Sinkhole Mapping Legislation

This week, the House of Representatives is expected to vote on H.R. 900, the Sinkhole Mapping Act of 2025, introduced by U.S. Rep. Darren Soto (D-FL);
If enacted, H.R. 900 would instruct the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to create a program to map zones that are at greater risk of sinkhole formation.

On The Horizon

(All times ET)

July 14 at 5 p.m., the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation-Housing and Urban Development, and Related agencies will mark-up of its FY26 appropriations bill;
July 14 at 6 p.m., the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy Water Development, and Related agencies will hold a mark-up of its FY26 appropriations bill;
July 15 at 10 a.m., the House Homeland Security Transportation and Maritime Security Subcommittee will hold a hearing, Surveillance, Sabotage, and Strikes-Industry Perspectives on How Drone Warfare Abroad Is Transforming Threats at Home;
July 15 at 10 a.m., the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies will hold a mark-up of its FY26 appropriations bill;
July 15 at 12 p.m., the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies will hold a mark-up of its FY26 appropriations bill;
July 16 at 10 a.m., the House Science, Space and Technology Committee Environment Subcommittee will hold a hearing, Protecting Lives and Property-Harnessing Innovative Technologies to Enhance Weather Forecasting;
July 16 at 10 a.m., U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy will testify before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee about the department’s priorities for FY26;
July 16 at 10 a.m., the Senate Environment and Public Works committee has a hearing scheduled, Constructing the Surface Transportation Reauthorization Bill: Stakeholders’ Perspectives;
July 16 at 10 a.m., the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation committee has a hearing scheduled on the nominations for Administrators to lead the following U.S. DOT agencies: the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration;
July 16 at 10:15 a.m., the House Education and the Workforce Committee Workforce Protections Subcommittee will hold a hearing, Safe Workplaces, Stronger Partnerships-The Future of OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) Compliance Assistance;
July 17 at 10 a.m., the House Appropriations committee is scheduled to mark-up the FY 2026 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related agencies appropriations bill.