Water Resources Development Act Passes U.S. House

Press Release

The House of Representatives has passed the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2016 that includes Congressman Rod Blum's bipartisan amendment calling on the Administration to expedite the Cedar Rapids flood protection project that was approved by Congress in 2014. WRDA passed with strong bipartisan support, with 399 yes votes and 25 no votes.

"The successful passage of WRDA is another important step in our ongoing effort to encourage the Administration to prioritize the Cedar Rapids flood protection project," said Congressman Blum. "I thank my colleagues from Iowa, Rep. Dave Loebsack and Rep. David Young, for their support of my bipartisan amendment that was included in this legislation, and look forward to continuing to work hard to ensure it remains in the final version of the bill during the conference between the House and the Senate."

VIDEO: Congressman Blum speaks in support of his amendment in the House: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCACYUrK1zFAZzKcmz9ibEAg

The Cedar Rapids project was approved by Congress in 2014, however, despite Congressional approval the Obama Administration has not yet included the project in its budget. The opportunity to offer this amendment arose upon last week's announcement that WRDA would be considered by the House this week after passing the Senate earlier this month.

Since taking office in 2014, Congressman Blum has worked to secure the funding for the Cedar Rapids project, joining Rep. Loebsack in calling on the Army Corps of Engineers (July, 2015) the House Appropriations Committee (November, 2015), and President Obama and his Office of Management and Budget (February, 2016) in joint letters to release the funds approved by Congress in 2014 for this critical project.

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