Congress extends water resilience programs through 2031, keeping federal investment flowing

What it does

This bill extends the authorization of three federal water infrastructure programs by five years, from 2026 to 2031. It allows the Clean Water Infrastructure Resiliency and Sustainability Program, the Drinking Water System Infrastructure Resilience and Sustainability Program, and the Midsize and Large Drinking Water System Infrastructure Resilience and Sustainability Program to continue operating and receiving funding beyond their current expiration dates. Ordinary citizens benefit through continued federal support for water system upgrades that improve resilience to climate impacts and aging infrastructure.

Why we flagged it

The bill is a straightforward technical extension of existing federal water programs. It extends authorization timelines without substantive policy changes, making it a routine reauthorization measure.

What the text implies

• Extension assumes continued federal appropriations; if Congress does not fund these programs at current levels, the extended authorization window may mask underfunding or gradual defunding.
• The bill does not address whether these programs' current funding levels are adequate to meet climate resilience and aging-infrastructure challenges; it only preserves the authorization window.
• No new performance metrics, accountability measures, or program reforms are introduced; the extension is purely temporal.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

Extending water infrastructure programs maintains federal investment in resilient, sustainable water systems that serve public health and climate adaptation. Citizens in communities relying on these programs avoid service disruption and continue receiving federal support for system improvements.

Who stands to gain

• water utilities and municipal water systems
• engineering and construction firms specializing in water infrastructure
• environmental consulting firms

Named in the bill

Federal Water Pollution Control Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, Section 223(g)(1) FWPCA, Section 1459A(l) SDWA, Section 1459F(f)(1) SDWA, Clean Water Infrastructure Resiliency and Sustainability Program, Drinking Water System Infrastructure Resilience and Sustainability Program, Midsize and Large Drinking Water System Infrastructure Resilience and Sustainability Program

Where it stands

10 cosponsors: 6 Republicans, 4 Democrats.

• Sep 26, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Sep 26, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and House Committee on Energy and Commerce · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Transportation and…”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

8 lobbying clients named this bill on 12 disclosure filings across 3 quarters, Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $817,500 in lobbying spend. A filing names 10 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 88% of bills with at least one filing.

Salud Carbajal, the sponsor, reported $631,982 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• American Water Works Association — $250,000 on 2 filings
• Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies — $220,000 on 2 filings
• National Association of Clean Water Agencies — $140,000 on 1 filing
• American Rivers Action Fund — $110,000 on 3 filings
• Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies — $30,000 on 1 filing

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.