Congress will begin the long process of negotiating funding levels for energy and water programs this week as the heads of EPA and the Interior Department testify once again on Capitol Hill and lawmakers debate proposed cuts to climate science and research.
One major development will be the release of the House Republicans’ Energy-Water bill for fiscal 2027, which the GOP is framing as an effort to lower prices ahead of the midterm elections.
“Our focus in ‘27 needs to be what has been in ‘26 and what we’ve done: create abundance,” said Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.), chair of the House Energy-Water Appropriations Subcommittee, during a recent interview. “Our thrust will probably be to have more of everything to drive prices down.”
The bill will be House Republicans’ starting proposal in what are expected to be months of slow-moving negotiations. The Senate may produce a more bipartisan version later this year. The final compromise won’t likely be done until after the November elections.
