U.S. Senator Katie Britt, R-Alabama, a member of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, voted last Friday to pass three Fiscal Year, FY, 2026 appropriations bills: the FY26 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, CJS, Appropriations Act, the FY26 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, and the FY26 Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies, EWD, Appropriations Act.
This package now heads to President Donald Trump’s desk to be signed into law.
“As of today, Congress has sent six appropriations bills to the President’s desk. While we have much more to do, I’m proud to see our diligent work on the Appropriations Committee deliver real wins for Alabamians. The passage of this package of bills will support our dedicated law enforcement officers, strengthen our inland waterway infrastructure and Mobile Harbor, elevate Alabama’s leadership in space exploration, upgrade drainage, drinking, and wastewater infrastructure, and more. These bills not only reflect my continued commitment to restoring regular order to our broken government spending process, but also my dedication to investing Alabama taxpayer dollars back in our communities. I look forward to continuing this important work for our state and nation,” Britt said.
In the FY26 CJS bill, Britt directly secured more than $15.8 million to support local law enforcement, fund research and training programs across the state, and for sediment flow studies at the Port of Mobile.
Britt said she fought for important funding provided in the bill specifically for NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, including more than $1.3 billion for the Space Launch System, SLS, over $2 billion to fund the development of two independent Human Landing System, HLS, vehicles, and no less than $110 million for nuclear thermal propulsion systems.
The FY26 CJS bill also includes $30 million for the Cooperative Institute for Research to Operations in Hydrology, CIROH, to address the nation’s growing water-related challenges and no less than $40 million for the National Water Center in Tuscaloosa.
Britt also directly supported a $5 million increase for the National Data Buoy System, $850,000 for the National Marine Fisheries Service, NMFS, to continue work on improving shrimp fishing technologies, level funding for Sea Grant Aquaculture Research, and full funding for SEAMAP. At the University of Alabama in Huntsville, Britt advocated for the inclusion of $11 million for the Vortex Southeast Hazardous Weather Research Program.
The FY26 CJS bill includes funding for “critical national priorities, including: $30 million for the National Mesonet Program; $10.6 billion to support the Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI; $2.6 billion to support the Drug Enforcement Administration’s, DEA, efforts to disrupt and dismantle Mexican cartels flooding the U.S. with fentanyl; and $720 million to support state and local law enforcement in implementing Violence Against Women Act, VAWA, programs,” Britt’s release stated.
In the FY26 EWD bill, Britt directly secured $26.9 million including for maintaining and improving navigable inland waterways, Mobile Harbor and Dauphin Island. She also supported $164 million in funding for U.S. Army Corps work in Alabama and more than $3.2 million for Mobile Harbor for the creation of a beneficial use site.
In the FY26 EWD bill, Britt secured over $10 million for the beneficial use of dredged material in the Mobile Channel, Upper Mobile Bay, and Dauphin Island. Additionally, she secured over $750,000 for environmental investigation of dredged material in Mobile Bay. On top of that, she secured over $7 million for investigations, surveying, and additional dredging across the Tennessee-Tombigbee, Black Warrior and Alabama Rivers.
Britt was able to make $14 million available for environmental infrastructure projects in Alabama. She also supported over $250 million for the Appalachian Region Commission, Delta Regional Authority and Southeast Crescent Regional Commission to advance economic development and infrastructure improvements across the state.
In the FY26 Interior bill, Britt directly secured $7.9 million in CDS spending. Projects include upgrades for drainage infrastructure and drinking and wastewater infrastructure improvements.
Additionally, Britt helped to secure $52 million, a $5 million increase, for research and management of various aquatic invasive species impacting Alabama, including eelgrass, and $8 million for U.S. Forest Service to acquire land in the Talladega National Forest.
