Cruisers Net is proud to be a member of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway Association, whose lobbying work is crucial to keeping the Waterway navigable and safe. Your membership dollars directly support their vital work. Please join and encourage your boating neighbors to do the same, regardless of their home port.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Releases FY26 Civil Works Budget Outlining the Administration’s Proposed Projects and Programs
May was an important month for waterway federal funding news. In addition to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) release of their work plan for Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) funding on May 15th, we received more good news when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released their FY2026 Civil Works Budget on May 30th providing the detailed information on the President’s priorities for project and program funding for FY26.
Building on the $33 million allocated for FY25, the administration is proposing over $38 million dollars for waterway projects to be conducted in all five states in FY26. Below is a summary of the FY26 President’s budget request for the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway.
Summary of appropriations in the FY26 President’s budget VA – $5.413M NC – $12.490M SC – $9.213M GA – $6.265M FL – $4.83M Total- $38.211 million Our New Jersey partners are also included in the President’s budget for $1.715 million
This funding level is the highest amount we have ever received in the President’s budget. This great start is a testament to our collective voice of waterway stakeholders and partnering with the Corps in building a national program for the last decade.
Looking forward
With the release of the Administration’s funding priorities, our focus turns to the FY26 appropriations process in Congress. The next step will be for the House of Representatives and Senate to develop their appropriation bills as the current FY25 funding ends on September 30, 2025. We are hopeful that we will be able to secure additional funding above the President’s request through Community Project Funding. In previous years, Rep. Greg Murphy (NC) and Rep. Brian Mast (FL) requested project funding for the waterway. We are also continuing to request Congress to add in funding pots for Additional Dredging needs for Inland Waterways; Small, Remote or Subsistence Navigation; and General Navigation into the Corps’ Operations & Maintenance Account, which could lead to more funding for the waterway.
Below is a table outlining our recent success and the current state of waterway funding. It is possible that we could surpass the $220 million in waterway funding over the past five years with another successful funding cycle in 2026.
BoatUS Has All the Hurricane Preparation Info Boaters Need
An article from our partners at BoatUS
Recreational boaters whose vessels have been impacted by a hurricane and came out relatively unscathed know it all starts with a plan. With the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season starting June 1, Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) is offering free hurricane boat preparation information at BoatUS.com/Hurricanes.
Online help is available to every boat owner (no BoatUS membership required), whether their vessel will have to weather the storm in the slip, stored ashore, on a boat lift, in canals, at marinas, boat clubs or hurricane holes.
The storm-planning help includes downloadable guides, videos and in-depth articles from BoatUS, the nation’s largest boating advocacy, services and safety group with more than 725,000 members and with more than 40 years of experience in hurricane preparedness for recreational vessels and post-storm recovery.
The simplest way to begin a customized boat hurricane damage avoidance plan is to download the one-page Hurricane Planning worksheet, which will help you determine a boat’s storage and protection options and needs, including any special equipment such as chafe protection, shackles or extra line.
Also offered is the “BoatUS Magazine Hurricane Preparations Guide,” which offers proven tips and techniques, and the “Guide for Preparing Boats and Marinas for Hurricanes” – a helpful resource for marina and boat club staff, community resiliency managers and local government organizations that focus on protecting boating facilities.
A video playlist includes nine hurricane preparation videos on a range of topics, making it easy to understand the steps to take, such as how to tie up your boat, how to set fenders, and what to do after a hurricane has come through.
If a named storm approaches, BoatUS.com/Hurricanes offers great up-to-the-minute storm tracking tools with live satellite images.
The Atlantic hurricane season officially ends November 30. For more, go to BoatUS.com/Hurricanes.
Savannah, Georgia SAVE THE DATE | AIWA Annual Meeting November 18-20, 2025
The AIWA is a national non-profit organization with the mission of securing funding and support for the maintenance of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. We are the only organization dedicated to ensuring the future of the AIWW and proudly represent all stakeholders of the waterway.
Be the first to comment!