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1 [1] (June 18, 2026)

handle is hein.crs/goveuos0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Service Informing the legisiitive debate since 1914 June 18, 2026 Bureau of Reclamation: FY2027 Budget and Appropriations The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), part of the Department of the Interior, is responsible for the construction and operation of hundreds of large dams and water diversion structures in the 17 western Reclamation States, as designated in statute (43 U.S.C. §391). Reclamation is the largest wholesale supplier of water in these 17 states and the second-largest hydroelectric power producer in the nation. Reclamation's Water and Related Resources account funds most agency activities, as well as the agency's programmatic and grant authorities (e.g., water reuse and recycling, desalination, conservation/efficiency). Reclamation also receives funding for three smaller accounts: California Bay-Delta Restoration, the Central Valley Project Restoration Fund (which is offset by customer receipts), and Policy and Administration. FY2027 Budget and Appropriatons Most Administrations have typically requested a lower amount for Reclamation than the final enacted total for Reclamation's annual appropriations. The FY2027 budget proposed $1.275 billion in current budget authority for Reclamation, or $352 million (22%) less than the $1.627 billion in annual discretionary appropriations that Congress approved for FY2026 in P.L. 119-74. H.R. 9022, the House-reported FY2027 Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, recommended $1.838 billion for Reclamation (Figure 1). Figure I. Bureau of Reclamation Annual Appropriations, FY20 I 8-FY2027 All Other Ater & oRelated . Ir0 l tion-Adjusted Acco -,unts Resources Account Total $ in millions $2,000O $1,500 1,000 $500 > > / <p -9 Source: CRS, based on FY2018-FY2026 enacted appropriations, FY2027 budget request (FY27 Req) and H.R. 9022 (FY27 Hse). Inflation adjustment based on FY2027 budget request, Historical Table 10.1. Notes: CR= continuing resolution. Amounts do not reflect supplemental funding or offsetting receipts. Recent Supplemental Funding Congress has approved supplemental appropriations for Reclamation in recent years, typically with direction to prioritize and/or allocate funds toward specific types of Reclamation activities that also receive annual discretionary appropriations. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA; P.L. 117-58) included $8.3 billion for Reclamation in various categories in equal installments from FY2022 to FY2026 and available until expended. P.L. 117-169 (also known as the Inflation Reduction Act) provided Reclamation $4.6 billion in funding (available through FY2026 or FY2031, depending on the section), including $4.0 billion for drought mitigation. P.L. 119-21 (also referred to as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act) included $1.0 billion for Reclamation (available through FY2034) for projects that enhance capacity at Reclamation surface water storage facilities. Additional Funding and Earmarks Reclamation's Water and Related Resources account consists largely of individual project funding lines. During the 112th-116th Congresses, congressional earmark moratoriums restricted funding for project line items not requested by the Administration. Congress responded by including additional funding amounts for specified categories of Reclamation projects (e.g., Water Conservation and Delivery) that were allocated for specific projects in spend plans made available after enactment of the appropriations bills. Recent Congresses have recommended earmarks-typically categorized as community projectfunding in the House or congressionally directed spending in the Senate-in addition to providing additional funding amounts above the President's budget request (Figure 2). In FY2027, the House report (H.Rept. 119-667) included additional funding amounts for rural water ($58 million), fish passage and fish screens ($3 million), water conservation and delivery ($355 million), and environmental restoration or compliance ($28 million). For water conservation and delivery funding, House report language specified subsets of funding for emergency canal repair construction ($50 million), Colorado River conservation ($50 million), and Indian water rights settlements ($50 million), plus $205 million for Section 4007 projects (see below). The House report also included five earmarks totaling $16.8 million.