Ports Keep PIDP Funding, WRDA Priorities In Focus

Federal port infrastructure funding and a new Water Resources Development Act remain top priorities for the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) as Congress approaches the end of the current surface transportation law and its 2026 legislative session.

At AAPA’s 2026 convention in New Orleans, La., government affairs staff discussed the prospects for renewing advance funding for the Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) and completing a WRDA bill covering U.S. Army Corps of Engineers navigation projects. The full House has passed its WRDA bill, while work on a new surface transportation law continues.

Ian Gansler, AAPA director of government relations, said the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provided $2.25 billion in advance PIDP appropriations over five years. Those funds are in their final year. AAPA is seeking $10.9 billion over the next five years, an amount Gansler said matches the total requested in PIDP applications during the previous five years.

“We’re asking for the program, essentially, to be fully funded,” Gansler said.

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved the five-year BUILD America 250 Act in May. The bill has not passed the full House, and its committee-approved version does not include the advance PIDP appropriations AAPA requested. Gansler said the association will continue making its case as Congress works on longer-term legislation, potentially into the next Congress.

“Our argument has been ports are basic infrastructure,” he said. AAPA wants advance appropriations to become a regular part of surface transportation legislation, giving ports more certainty as they plan projects and seek grants in successive years.

John Bressler, AAPA vice president of government relations, said the association has held more than 50 meetings on PIDP and raised the issue during its March legislative fly-in. Requests for the program have run at nearly five times available funding, he said. AAPA also has discussed PIDP with the administration, although Congress must enact the funding.

WRDA has advanced further. The House approved H.R. 9497, its 2026 bill, September 16. A Senate committee has approved its own version, but the full Senate had not acted on it at the time of the panel discussion. WRDA authorizes Corps studies and projects, including work affecting ports and navigation channels. Congress must separately appropriate money to carry out that work.

Holden Haley, AAPA government relations manager, said three association requests made it into the House bill, and two overlapping requests appear in the Senate version. Both bills include provisions addressing contributed funds from nonfederal project sponsors and dredging coordination. The House bill also includes additional support for the donor and energy transfer port program, he said.

“One of AAPA’s top priorities is passing a WRDA bill,” Haley said, pointing to port requests involving channel deepening, maintenance and other projects. He said keeping WRDA on its recent two-year cycle matters because a missed bill can delay consideration of new priorities.

Bressler said Congress has a limited window after the November election to reconcile the House and Senate measures. Existing Corps programs would continue if a new WRDA is not enacted this year, but pending project authorizations and policy changes could carry over to a Congress with different priorities.

AAPA expects the Senate to take up its WRDA bill and is seeking final passage before the end of the year. On PIDP, the association will continue pressing for advance appropriations as lawmakers negotiate the next surface transportation bill, a process Gansler said could extend into the next Congress.

Streamlining The PIDP Application Process

In a separate panel at the convention, Maritime Administration officials said they are working to streamline grant processes and help ports prepare applications for PIDP and other federal funding programs.

Sydney Plant, MarAd’s acting associate administrator for strategic engagement, said improving those processes is part of the administration’s Maritime Action Plan.

“It’s about streamlining our processes, any pain points from the industry, we’re working on fixing those,” Plant said.

Plant encouraged ports to begin preparing applications using the latest notice of funding opportunity. Although requirements may change between funding rounds, she said the emphasis on capital improvements, energy and innovation is expected to continue.

Officials also said they intend to give applicants more time to provide data showing how proposed projects would improve cargo movement within ports and connections to the broader freight network. Those measurements help the department evaluate potential investments.

The discussion included inland waterways and inland ports as parts of that network. Department of Transportation representatives said the Maritime Action Plan recognizes inland waterways’ importance to commerce and national security, with those priorities reflected in PIDP’s funding notice. Rail and highway connections also factor into project evaluations.

Ports were encouraged to pursue multiple grant programs for different project phases. Plant said PIDP could support an initial phase, while the department’s BUILD program could fund subsequent work. Department staff coordinate applications to avoid overlapping project scopes and align schedules.