Washington Report – September 14, 2026

Sept. 14, 2026

Latest News

Appropriations Update

• The federal government is currently funded by a continuing resolution (CR) to Dec.11;
• To date, no FY27 appropriations bills have been passed by Congress;
• With the upcoming Nov. 3 election, both the Senate and House are set to be out of session by the end of September and for all of October;
• With the CR in place, and a short schedule, there is little possibility Congress will complete any appropriations bills until after the election when control of the House and Senate is determined for the next Congress;
• Items of note for APWA members are that the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which expires Sept. 30, has been extended to Dec. 11 through the CR; and the delayed implementation of an Office of Management and Budget proposed rule to change the federal grant review process has been delayed through the CR;
• The weeks leading up to the election are an excellent time to speak up on behalf of public works to your members of Congress, and APWA has many government affairs resources to help you do so;
• Keep up with developments and opportunities through the APWA Government Affairs social media accounts on X and LinkedIn and reach out to your APWA Government Affairs team if you need assistance.

WRDA Scheduled for House Vote this Week

• The Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) is scheduled for a vote this week in the U.S. House of Representatives;
• Once passed by the House, the bill will need to be reconciled with the Senate bill, S. 4949;
• The July 27 APWA Washington Report provided a summary of the bills;
• APWA has weighed in recently with coalition partners to speak up on WRDA and other critical water infrastructure investment;
• Additionally, APWA has an active legislative action alert for APWA members to urge Congress to pass WRDA this fall.

APWA Government Affairs to Attend U.S. DOT Expo

• Sr. Government Affairs Manager Marty Williams and Government Affairs Specialist Jeff Finegan will represent APWA, Sept. 18, during the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Roadway Safety Innovation Expo at the Washington, DC headquarters;
• The expo’s agenda:
  • Master of Ceremonies, Federal Highway Administrator Sean McMaster
  • Keynote Address from U.S. DOT Secretary Sean P. Duffy
  • Remarks from Members of Congress
  • Surface transportation interactive demonstrations
  • High-tech safety simulators and live technology demonstrations
• Expo attendees will also include state transportation chief executives, local and tribal transportation leaders, safety advocates, industry stakeholders, transportation associations, students, and media.

APWA to Participate in CISA Cybersecurity Webinar

• APWA Past President Vic Bianes will deliver remarks, and APWA Government Affairs Committee member Mark Ray (the Burnsville, MN, public works director) will present, Sept. 24, during the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) webinar, “Building Resilient Communities Through Cyber Hygiene”;
• Topics of discussion:
  • Enhancing cybersecurity in emergency response
  • Securing future emergency communications
  • Next Gen 911
  • Community resilience & cyber hygiene
• For additional information, including on how to register, click here.

CISA Releases Insider Threat Mitigation Guide

• CISA has released an updated Insider Threat Mitigation Guide to help critical infrastructure stakeholders better understand insider threats, how to identify the various forms of threats, and how to implement best practices to establish or enhance an insider threat mitigation program;
• The new edition includes:
  • Updated case studies, statistical information, and interactive features
  • New insights addressing recent workplace trends including the increased use of hybrid and remote work, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and numerous other associated insider threat considerations.

APWA Hosts 3DEP Meeting at Washington, DC Office

• APWA Government Affairs hosted the 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) Coalition for a ½ day meeting last week;

• Representatives from the public and private sector participated;
• The 3DEP coalition includes public and private sector representatives, including APWA, who are focused on responding to the growing need for high-quality topographic data and 3D representations of the nation’s natural and constructed features;
• 3DEP’s federal level lead agency is the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS);
• The goal is to provide the first-ever national baseline of consistent high-resolution topographic elevation data, including the bare Earth surface and 3D point clouds that map the nation’s natural and constructed features.

APWA Joins Coalition on Professional Student Loan Limits

• Along with other members of the Engineering Workforce Consortium (EWC), APWA sent a letter to U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon seeking clarity related to classification of graduate-level engineering programs;
• Read the letter here.

On the Horizon

(All times ET)

• Sept. 15 at 10 a.m., the House Science, Space and Technology Committee will hold a hearing, Innovation in Disaster Prevention-Advancing Technology for Prediction and Response;
• Sept. 15 at 10 a.m., the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will hold a markup which will include the following:
  • Amendment in the nature of a substitute (ANS) to H.R. 10304, the Drone Safety Statement Modernization Act of 2026
  • H.R. 8409, the Post-Disaster Protection Act
• Sept. 16 at 9:30 a.m., the Senate Environment and Public Works committee has scheduled a business meeting to consider legislation, including S.5045, the Wildfire Emissions Prevention Act of 2026;
• Sept. 16 at 10 a.m., the Senate Energy and Natural Resources committee has a hearing scheduled to receive testimony on numerous bills, including:
  • S. 5352, the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act and the Water Desalination Act of 1996 to reauthorize certain desalination programs, and S. 5360 to reauthorize the Rural and Municipal Utility Advanced Cybersecurity Grant and Technical Assistance Program
• Sept. 16 at 10 a.m. the House Homeland Security committee has scheduled a hearing, focused on how state and local counterterrorism efforts have evolved since 9/11.

Explore APWA’s Member Advocacy Tools:

• Follow on X and LinkedIn
• APWA Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) Resource page
• 119th Congress Public Policy Priorities & Policymaker Primers
• APWA Washington Report
• Legislative Action Center
• The Value of Government Affairs Video
• “What is Public Works?”
• Tell Your Story
• Public Works Research