IFPTE Letter Supporting House WRDA Bill Cites Favorable Provisions on Boundary Realignment and Cites Concerns about Wasteful Army Corps Office Relocations and Lack of Transparency
This week, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee (T&I) and the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee both passed their respective Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) bills with unanimous bipartisan support.
WRDA is a 2-year reauthorization and policy bill for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) civil works projects, operations, and other federally supported water infrastructure programs.
IFPTE sent a letter to House T&I Committee Members to shore up support for union-backed provisions and also remind lawmakers that USACE's ongoing effort to move offices out of New York City is a waste of taxpayer dollars, will result in skilled workers leaving the agency, and will harm critical missions and project delivery.
In the House WRDA bill, Congressman Chris Deluzio (D-PA) responded to IFPTE members' concerns and secured bipartisan support for an IFPTE-backed amendment to the bill that requires the USACE to inform Congress and consult with stakeholders before any boundary realignment is implemented. The language was included as part of a bipartisan Managers' amendment to the bill. The T&I Committee advanced the bill with a unanimous 66-0 vote on Tuesday.
The House WRDA bill also includes a section that tasks the Engineer Inspector General of the Army to examine whether USACE Park Ranger duties and functions should be deemed inherently governmental. IFPTE's USACE locals, including Local 562 Steward Michael Arendt, have asked for Congress to consider USACE Park Rangers' work as inherently governmental and protected from outsourcing. The House bill also calls for a National Academies of Public Administration study on USACE workforce needs.
The Senate WRDA bill was passed with unanimous bipartisan support in the EPW Committee on Wednesday. The Senate bill focuses on authorizing projects and continuing funding for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund and the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, which are administered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and benefit state and local water infrastructure throughout the U.S.
IFPTE thanks Rep. Deluzio and the Democratic and Republican staff in the House T&I and Senate EPW Committees. The union is committed to making sure the House-Senate compromise bill includes IFPTE priorities, and we will continue to work with lawmakers to call for better transparency and for Congress to provide oversight on USACE office relocations, realignments, and any potential reorganizations.