U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: FY2025 Appropriations

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: FY2025 Appropriations

link to page 1 link to page 1 link to page 1

April 30, 2024
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: FY2025 Appropriations
Congress generally funds the civil works activities of the
unobligated and unallocated Infrastructure Investment and
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in annual Energy
Jobs Act (IIJA; P.L. 117-58) Construction
and Water Development appropriations acts. These
appropriations―to fund projects listed in the explanatory
activities include the planning and construction of
statement accompanying P.L. 118-42. The act also
authorized water resource projects and the operation and
stipulated that USACE may utilize certain appropriations—
maintenance (O&M) of infrastructure and navigation
specific prior supplemental and emergency appropriations
improvements managed by USACE. USACE uses most of
and appropriations from P.L. 118-42 and future acts—to
its appropriations for work on specific studies and projects
provide additional funding for certain studies and projects
authorized by Congress. Nonfederal project sponsors or
that have received funding from the following accounts: the
users often share in project construction costs. For more on
USACE Construction account in P.L. 113-2, the USACE
USACE appropriations, see CRS Report R46320, U.S.
Investigations and Construction accounts in P.L. 115-123,
Army Corps of Engineers: Annual Appropriations Process.
and the USACE Investigations account in P.L. 117-58.
For USACE civil works, President Biden is requesting
USACE Funding in the FY2025 Request
$7.22 billion for FY2025 (Figure 1), which is $1.46 billion
As with previous budget requests, a majority of President
lower than FY2024 enacted annual appropriations of $8.68
Biden’s FY2025 USACE budget request would fund
billion (Division D, Title 1 of P.L. 118-42).
maintenance of existing infrastructure, as reflected by the
share of funds requested for the O&M account (see Figure
Figure 1. Annual USACE Budget Requests and
2). The next largest share of funding in the FY2025 budget
Appropriations, FY2018-FY2025
request is for the Construction account, at 28%.
(nominal $, in bil ions)
Figure 2. USACE FY2018-FY2024 Annual
Appropriations and FY2025 Budget Request,
Percentage of Total Funds by Account

Source: Congressional Research Service (CRS), based on
appropriations laws from FY2017 to FY2024 and the FY2025 USACE

budget request.
Source: CRS, based on appropriations laws and the FY2025 request.
Notes: Does not reflect supplemental appropriations or redirection
Notes: ASA = Assistant Secretary of the Army; FCCE = Flood
of prior year appropriations.
Control and Coastal Emergencies; FUSRAP = Formerly Utilized Sites
Remedial Action Program; MR&T = Mississippi River and Tributaries;
In addition to annual discretionary appropriations, Congress
O&M = Operation and Maintenance; Regulatory = Regulatory
has provided supplemental appropriations to USACE in
Program; Req. = Request; WIFIP = Water Infrastructure Finance and
some fiscal years. For information on USACE supplemental
Innovation Program. Does not reflect supplemental appropriations,
appropriations, see CRS In Focus IF11945, U.S. Army
or redirection of prior year appropriations. Although the FY2025
Corps of Engineers: Supplemental Appropriations. While
request includes a proposal to fund certain expenses directly from a
these funds were made available in prior fiscal years,
navigation trust fund, this figure shows only traditional USACE
USACE is still obligating and expending some of these
accounts.
funds. In addition, P.L. 118-42 directed that USACE use
some prior supplemental appropriations―$1.43 billion of
https://crsreports.congress.gov

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: FY2025 Appropriations
New start is a term to describe USACE studies or projects
Continuing Authorities Programs
receiving appropriations for the first time. For FY2025, the
USACE may plan and construct projects of limited scope
Administration is not requesting funding for new starts,
and cost without project-specific authorizations through its
either for studies or for new construction projects. In
Continuing Authorities Programs (CAPs; see CRS In Focus
FY2024, P.L. 118-42 funded the Administration’s request
IF12635, Continuing Authorities Programs (CAPs) of the
for five new studies and one new construction project, as
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers). President Biden’s FY2025
well as new studies and construction projects from Member
request includes $17.5 million for four of the nine
requests and four additional new starts pursuant to direction
authorized CAPs. The FY2024 annual appropriations act
from the act’s explanatory statement.
funded nine CAPs for a total of $54.9 million, including
$2.1 million for CPF/CDS projects. P.L. 118-42 also
Navigation Improvements, Flood Risk Reduction,
repurposed $34.8 million from unobligated and unallocated
and Ecosystem Restoration Activities
prior year CAP appropriations to the FY2024 Construction
The FY2025 budget requests $3.06 billion for
account.
navigation―$2.05 billion for coastal navigation and
harbors and $1.01 billion for inland and intracoastal
Environmental Infrastructure Assistance
waterways. Of the total, $2.74 billion would be for
In FY2025, the Administration is not requesting funding for
navigation O&M, of which $1.69 billion is to be derived
assisting design and construction of certain publicly owned
from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund. The request
and operated water-related infrastructure, known as
includes $4 million for inland and intracoastal waterway
environmental infrastructure (EI). (See CRS Report
construction, of which no funding is to be derived from the
R47162, Overview of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Inland Waterway Trust Fund. The FY2025 request for flood
Environmental Infrastructure (EI) Assistance.) In FY2024,
risk reduction is $1.59 billion, of which $1.49 billion is for
for the first time since Congress authorized the EI
inland flood risk reduction (including $534 million for
assistance in 1992, the Administration requested EI
construction projects). The request includes $99 million for
assistance funding. The FY2024 annual appropriations act
coastal storm damage reduction (with $4 million of this
funded CPF/CDS requests for specific EI assistance
amount for construction projects). For FY2025, President
authorities, as well as $17.9 million in additional funding
Biden requests $1.24 billion for USACE aquatic ecosystem
for these authorities for USACE to allocate in its
restoration efforts, of which $500 million is for fish passage
Construction work plan.
construction at a USACE dam and $444 million is for
Everglades restoration.
Corps Water Infrastructure Financing Program
In 2014, the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation
Community Project Funding and Congressional
Act (WIFIA; 33 U.S.C. §§3901-3914, as amended)
Directed Spending
authorized USACE (and the Environmental Protection
The 112th to the 116th Congresses limited congressionally
Agency, which operates its own, separate WIFIA program)
directed funding of site-specific studies and projects,
to provide credit assistance, in the form of direct loans or
sometimes referred to as earmarks. The 117th and 118th
loan guarantees, for a range of water projects. USACE’s
Congresses in enacted FY2022, FY2023, and FY2024
program is referred to as the Corps Water Infrastructure
annual appropriations included community project funding
Financing Program (CWIFP) and receives appropriations
(CPF) and congressionally directed spending (CDS)
from the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation
requested by Representatives and Senators, respectively, for
Program account. From FY2021 through FY2023, Congress
site-specific studies and projects. For these fiscal years,
limited the program’s lending to nonfederal dam safety
Congress in the explanatory statement funded (1) CPF and
projects. Of the program’s $7.2 million enacted for
CDS requests from Members of Congress and (2) broad
FY2024, $5.0 million was for program administration and
categories (referred to as additional funding), such as
$2.2 million was for credit assistance for nonfederal dam
navigation and flood and storm damage reduction.
safety and nonfederal levee projects. For FY2025, the
Administration is requesting $5.0 million for CWIFP
For FY2025, the House and Senate Appropriations
lending and $2.0 million for administrative expenses. For
committees invites Members of Congress to request CPF
more information, see CRS Insight IN12021, Corps Water
and CDS items, respectively. Their instructions identify
Infrastructure Financing Program (CWIFP).
USACE’s Investigations, Construction, Mississippi River
and Tributaries, and O&M accounts as eligible for requests.
Anna E. Normand, Specialist in Natural Resources Policy
Nicole T. Carter, Specialist in Natural Resources Policy
IF12648

https://crsreports.congress.gov

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: FY2025 Appropriations

Disclaimer
This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff to
congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and under the direction of Congress.
Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other than public understanding of information that has
been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in connection with CRS’s institutional role. CRS Reports, as a work of the
United States Government, are not subject to copyright protection in the United States. Any CRS Report may be
reproduced and distributed in its entirety without permission from CRS. However, as a CRS Report may include
copyrighted images or material from a third party, you may need to obtain the permission of the copyright holder if you
wish to copy or otherwise use copyrighted material.

https://crsreports.congress.gov | IF12648 · VERSION 1 · NEW