Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart (FL-26) announced that he has secured $461 million for Everglades restoration and preservation in the Fiscal Year 2026 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill. The bill was approved by the House Appropriations Committee last month.
Díaz-Balart, who is Vice Chair of the House Appropriations Committee and Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the Congressional Everglades Caucus, emphasized his ongoing commitment to protecting the Everglades. “My record reflects my unwavering commitment to restoring and safeguarding America’s Everglades. As Vice-Chair of the House Appropriations Committee, I am proud 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.”
He noted that more than nine million Floridians depend on the Everglades for their drinking water. “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. It allocates $461 million directly to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for Everglades Restoration, with accompanying report language to accelerate construction, improve transparency, and ensure the timely execution of projects so that the Central Everglades Restoration Plan can deliver vital benefits to our region’s ecosystem as quickly as possible.”
“I look forward to continuing to deliver funds for Everglades restoration through my role on the House Appropriations Committee, and applaud the work of Chairman Tom Cole and my House GOP Appropriator colleagues, who remain vehemently committed to restoring fiscal responsibility, reasserting American energy leadership, and prioritizing our national security priorities,” Díaz-Balart added.
The appropriations include $12.7 million for South Florida Ecosystem Restoration under operation and maintenance accounts; $4 million for Inland Waterway Navigation; directives on expediting construction; improving project transparency; urging closure on specific reservoir phases; and encouraging collaboration between federal agencies and local public universities.
Other provisions in the bill support modernization of nuclear weapons stockpile infrastructure with over $20 billion allocated; investments in mining production technologies aimed at reducing foreign dependence on critical minerals; prohibitions related to crude oil sales or technology purchases involving China or Russia; limits on Department of Energy spending in certain areas; as well as measures designed to safeguard taxpayer dollars.
Mario Díaz-Balart has represented Florida’s 26th District in Congress since 2003 after serving previously in both chambers of Florida’s legislature (https://www.congress.gov/member/mario-diaz-balart/D000600). Born in Fort Lauderdale in 1961, he resides in Miami (https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/D000600). He holds a Bachelor’s degree from University of South Florida.
