WASHINGTON, D.C.–– Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart (FL-26), Vice Chair of the House Appropriations Committee, Dean of the Florida Delegation, and Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the Congressional Everglades Caucus, issued the following statement following the House passage of H.R. 4553, the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026 where he secured $461 million for Everglades restoration and preservation. "Once again, my record reflects my unwavering commitment to restoring and safeguarding America’s Everglades. As Vice-Chair of the House Appropriations Committee, I am proud and grateful to have worked with Subcommittee Chairman Chuck Fleischmann to secure $461 million in critical funding for the Everglades, all while ensuring taxpayer dollars are prioritized toward protecting American families, revitalizing our energy grid, and maintaining our nuclear deterrent, while eliminating wasteful Biden-era initiatives that diverted resources from critical infrastructure and innovation. “It is not lost upon me that over nine million Floridians depend on the Everglades for their drinking water, and this bill demonstrates my strong commitment to restoring and preserving America's Everglades. This funding will be allocated directly to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for Everglades Restoration, accompanied by report language to accelerate construction, enhance transparency, and ensure the timely execution of projects, thereby enabling the Central Everglades Restoration Plan to deliver vital benefits to our region's ecosystem as quickly as possible. “I look forward to continuing to deliver funds for Everglades restoration and commend the work of Chairman Tom Cole and my fellow Republican colleagues, who remain committed to restoring fiscal responsibility, reasserting American energy leadership, and prioritizing our national security priorities." Founder and Co-Chair of the Everglades Caucus, Diaz-Balart Secures: - $461M secured for Everglades Restoration through the U.S. Army Corps Construction Account.
- $12.7M for South Florida Ecosystem Restoration under the Corps’ Operation & Maintenance Account.
- $4M for Inland Waterway Navigation under the Corps’ Operation & Maintenance Acct.
- Report language on expediting construction, transparency, and timely execution of projects to ensure CERP can deliver benefits as quickly as possible.
- Report language urging the Corp to close out on CEPP North Phase/EAA Reservoir.
- Report Language urging the Corp and the Task Force to work hand in hand with local public universities that are available to modernize the capacity of remote sensing and measurements that will advance the Task Force restoration goals.
Additional FY26 Energy & Water Wins: Champions America’s nuclear deterrent and strengthens national security by: - Providing $20.662 billion for the continued modernization of the nuclear weapons stockpile and infrastructure.
- Providing $2.171 billion to support the U.S. Navy’s nuclear fleet by investing in infrastructure and new technologies to maintain America’s advantage over our adversaries.
- Providing $1.984 billion to reduce the danger of hostile nations or terrorist groups acquiring nuclear weapons.
- Prohibiting the sale of crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to the Chinese Communist Party.
- Prohibiting access to U.S. nuclear weapons production facilities by citizens of China and Russia.
- Prohibiting the Department of Energy from providing financial assistance to any foreign entity of concern.
- Prohibiting the purchase of technology and telecommunications equipment from China and other adversaries.
Restores American energy dominance and bolsters the national economy by: - Supporting one of the largest investments focused on mining production technologies for critical minerals extraction in decades, reducing reliance on foreign sources.
Safeguards American taxpayer dollars and preserves core functions by: - Including no funds for the Department of Energy Office of Energy Justice and Equity.
- Refocusing applied energy technology program funding to ensure taxpayer resources are directed to the highest priority research and development efforts.
- Reducing global dependency on the U.S. for foreign nuclear reactor conversions.
A summary of the bill is available here. Bill Text is available here. ### | 