ARLINGTON, Va., July 14, 2026 — The National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) today applauded the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for advancing the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), bipartisan legislation critical to maintaining and improving the nation’s inland waterways infrastructure.

NGFA commended Committee Chairman Sam Graves (R-Mo.), Ranking Member Rick Larsen (D-Wash), and other members of the committee for their bipartisan work to advance the legislation.

“A reliable and efficient inland waterways system is essential to the competitiveness of U.S. agriculture and our ability to move grain and other agricultural products safely and efficiently to domestic and international markets,” said NGFA President and CEO Mike Seyfert. “Congress’s longstanding commitment to passing a bipartisan WRDA bill every two years provides critical certainty for planning and investing in the infrastructure that supports farmers, agribusinesses and rural communities.”

America’s grain and feed industry relies on an interconnected transportation network of highways, railways and waterways to move agricultural products. Each year, approximately 650 million tons of U.S. grain move from fields to storage by truck, 160 million tons move by rail, and 80 million tons move by barge. The efficient operation of all three modes is essential to maintaining a reliable agricultural supply chain and ensuring U.S. farmers and agribusinesses can compete in domestic and global markets.

NGFA strongly supports continued investment in the nation’s inland waterways, which provide an efficient and cost-effective means of transporting hundreds of millions of tons of agricultural commodities each year. Modernizing locks and dams, addressing deferred maintenance, and improving navigation reliability are essential to maintaining U.S. agriculture’s global competitiveness. NGFA also appreciates that the legislation does not threaten or call into question the importance of the Columbia River System and Lower Snake River dams, which are critical to U.S. agricultural exports and the efficient movement of agricultural commodities.

“NGFA urges the full House to act swiftly on WRDA and looks forward to working with Congress to ensure final bipartisan legislation is enacted this year,” Seyfert said.

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