[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 184 (Wednesday, December 11, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S6942]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                    Water Recourses Development Act

  Mr. President, on WRDA, last night, the House of Representatives 
overwhelmingly passed the 2024 Water Resources Development Act, named 
this year in honor of our dear retiring friend Senator Carper, who has 
been a champion of this bill for so long. WRDA is one of Congress's 
most important bills for water infrastructure projects carried out by 
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The bill passed with resounding 
bipartisan support--399 to 18--in the House, with all Democrats in 
favor.
  This year's bill also includes reauthorization of the Economic 
Development Administration and several regional Commissions, making 
critical investments in infrastructure, workforce, and supply chains 
that will help the United States outcompete the rest of the world.
  This bipartisan bill passed out of the EPW Committee earlier this 
year with unanimous support. The Senate is now working on a path to get 
WRDA and the EDA package cleared through this Chamber. It is my hope we 
can act on these bipartisan bills as soon as possible.
  Reauthorizing WRDA opens the floodgates to authorize all sorts of 
water-related projects for our economy. It helps improve our ports and 
inland waterways. It helps communities protect against flood damage. It 
safeguards our delicate ecosystems, and it enhances access to public 
water.
  WRDA is also critical for New York, where it improves, among other 
things, shoreline resiliency and flood protections from the Great Lakes 
all the way to New York City. The EDA authorization part of the bill 
will also direct more Federal investment to our most distressed regions 
and help them rebuild from economic hardship and from disasters.
  WRDA and EDA are great examples of bipartisanship in action. So I 
hope we can reach agreement to get this important bill done as soon as 
we can.