Washington Waves: Waterway News From D.C.

Late in the day January 29, Senate Democrats and the Trump administration reached a deal to avoid a partial government shutdown after Democrats and eight Republicans in the Senate voted against advancing a six-bill minibus, H.R. 7148, to fund a number of federal departments, including the Department of Homeland Security, through September 30. The measure failed in a 45 to 55 vote.

At issue was inclusion of funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in the minibus.

Democrats had demanded funding for DHS to be stripped from the measure to give lawmakers time to include key reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which falls under DHS. Republicans, meanwhile, insisted the Senate move forward with the package as covered by a bipartisan, bicameral agreement.

In addition to DHS, the minibus included funding for Defense; Transportation and Housing; Labor and Health and Human Services; the State Department and other federal agencies.

The opposition to funding for DHS was due to concerns over the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement and another shooting death in Minneapolis.

According to a report by the Associated Press, the deal strips DHS funding from the minibus, opting to instead fund the agency for two weeks while Congress and the Trump administration negotiate a long-term deal.

Trump claimed the deal as a victory, posting to social media, “Republicans and Democrats have come together to get the vast majority of the government funded until September.”

Trump Signs H.R. 6938

President Donald Trump signed another appropriations package that included a boost in funding for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. According to a bill summary by Senate Democrats, H.R. 6938 provides $10.435 billion in total funding for the Corps of Engineers, $1.75 billion above fiscal year 2025 enacted.

“Importantly—unlike Republicans’ yearlong continuing resolution for fiscal year 2025 that was signed into law—this bill delineates how funds for the Corps are to be spent, which projects are to be funded and at what levels,” the summary stated. “This ensures that vital projects to protect communities from flooding and other extreme weather will receive the funding they need, as determined by Congress in consultation with the Corps.”

The summary also stated the bill provides a historic $3.473 billion for the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund—a $702 million increase over fiscal year 2025—to improve navigation by dredging ports and maintaining the nation’s waterways.

FEMA Review

Trump has signed an executive order continuing the Federal Emergency Management Agency Review Council until March 25. Established by the president on January 24, 2025, the council was to terminate one year later unless he extended it.

Trump’s executive order also states Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem will perform functions.

It was unclear what became of the report that appeared on the council’s last agenda and whether a new report would be prepared.

Permitting Reform

A key Democratic senator participated in a hearing on permitting reform after he played a leading role in shutting down negotiations on that topic over trust issues with the Trump administration.

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, said proceeding with the panel’s bipartisan hearing “is our demonstration of hope that the nonsense can be stopped.”

Whitehouse also used his opening statement to tick off a list of actions by the Trump administration that led to the pause in negotiations, ranging from not defining solar or wind as energy in an executive order declaring an energy emergency to a stop-work order on five wind projects because of national security risks that had emerged in the previous 30 days that the senator said four federal judges did not buy.

“I still want to pass bipartisan Senate permitting reform,” Whitehouse said, “but it makes no sense to pass a bipartisan permitting reform that gets illegally butchered by a lawless executive branch, vindictively, irrationally and dishonestly.”

In her opening statement, Chairman Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) thanked Whitehouse for attending the hearing and for his “drive to elevate problems with our current permitting regime and to work constructively together.”

“This growing consensus demands action now or we are likely to miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Capito said, citing action in the House recently to pass bipartisan reforms to the National Environmental Policy Act and the Clean Water Act.

FMC Investigation

The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) is accepting comments as part of its investigation into reports that ocean common carriers may be violating the Shipping Act by unjustly and unreasonably restricting truckers and shippers from negotiating and dealing with chassis providers through service contract terms or other means.

In the January 26 edition of the Federal Register, the FMC said it is seeking information from shippers, motor carriers and other transportation service providers as well as the public about whether such practices are occurring and, if so, how they are affecting the ocean supply chain.

Comments should be submitted before March 27. Identified by Docket No.FMC-2026-0100 and written in English, comments may be submitted via www.regulations.gov.

Anchorage Modification

The Coast Guard is accepting comments on its proposal to modify the Longview anchorage by reducing its size to allow completion of the Longview Channel realignment project.

“This action is necessary to provide commercial vessels with the space needed to safely transit the navigational channel by maximizing the available height clearance of the Lewis and Clark bridge in Longview, Wash.,” the Coast Guard stated in the January 26 edition of the Federal Register.

Comments and related material must be received by the Coast Guard by February 25. Identified by Docket No. USCG-2025-0806, comments may be submitted at www.regulations.gov.

For additional information, contact Lt. Cmdr. Jesse Wallace at 503-572-3524 or SCRWWM@uscg.mil.

Cybersecurity Guide

The Coast Guard’s Office of Maritime Cybersecurity Policy released a new guide, “Work Instruction 001: Cybersecurity Training Verification Job Aid,” to provide a clear and standardized framework for vessel and facility inspectors.

“This new tool is designed to assist those inspectors in verifying that all U.S.-flagged vessels, facilities and Outer Continental Shelf facilities have implemented the required cybersecurity training under 33 Code of Federal Regulations Part 101, Subpart F,” the service stated. “With these verification procedures now part of routine inspections, operators should be prepared to demonstrate that they have a compliant training program in place, maintain accessible training records and have a formal process for managing system access for untrained personnel.”

The Cybersecurity Training Verification Job Aid can be found on the Coast Guard Maritime Industry Cybersecurity Resource Center website.

For additional information, contact MTSCyberRule@uscg.mil.