Last week, President Trump signed into law H.R. 5895, the “Energy and Water, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act 2019,” which provides full-year funding for the Army Corps of Engineers' Civil Works program of $7 billion through Sept. 30, 2019.
The law also provides funding for a combination of appropriation bills.
The $7 billion in funding for the Corps' Civil Works program is 46% more than the administration’s request of $4.8 billion. This is the fourth consecutive year that Congress has increased funding for the Corps.
Funding includes full work plan allocations for five construction projects. The Chickamauga Lock and Dam on the Tennessee River will receive 15% from the Inland Waterway Trust Fund (IWTF) and 85% from federal funding. The remaining four projects will be funded through a 50% share from the IWTF and a 50% federal share.
Fiscal 2019 appropriations funding for operations and maintenance (O&M) is a record $3.74 billion, up 24.7% from the administration’s $3 billion request.
IWTF funding in fiscal 2019 is $326.5 million, up 833% from the administration’s $35 million request to fund only the Olmsted Locks and Dam project on the Ohio River.
