Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart (FL-26), Vice Chair of the House Appropriations Committee and Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the Congressional Everglades Caucus, announced that $461 million has been secured for Everglades restoration and preservation. The funding was included in H.R. 4553, the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026, which recently passed the House.
“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,” Díaz-Balart said.
He added: “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.”
Díaz-Balart also said: “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.”
The appropriations include $12.7 million for South Florida Ecosystem Restoration under the U.S. Army Corps Operation & Maintenance Account and $4 million for Inland Waterway Navigation. The legislation contains language intended to speed up construction projects related to restoration efforts as well as recommendations for cooperation between federal agencies and local universities.
Additional provisions in the bill focus on modernizing America’s nuclear weapons stockpile with $20.662 billion allocated toward continued modernization efforts. There is also support for mining production technologies aimed at reducing reliance on foreign sources for critical minerals.
Díaz-Balart has represented Florida’s 26th District in Congress since 2003 after serving in both chambers of Florida’s state legislature. He was born in Fort Lauderdale in 1961 and resides in Miami.
