Posted on July 25, 2025
Funding for beach replenishment next year is on the chopping block, as a House subcommittee led by a Republican majority is seeking a large reduction in the money allocated for such projects.
U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., said the Energy and Water Development subcommittee only wants to provide the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer with $60 million to cover beach replenishment projects for the entire nation in 2026. Usually, the Corps gets $200 million, Pallone said.
Individual beach replenishment projects are funded using 35% local and state money and a 65% federal match.
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The $60 million would not all be earmarked for beach fill, but could be grabbed for other coastal beach defense projects, Pallone said.
“House Republicans are pulling the sand out from under us. Their partisan bill abandons coastal communities at a time when climate change is accelerating erosion and increasing the risk of devastating storms,” Pallone said. “These projects aren’t luxuries, they’re lifelines.”
The subcommittee is chaired by Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tenn., and has a 9-6 GOP majority. Fleischmann could not be reached for comment on Tuesday. The beach replenishment funding is part of the $57.3 billion Energy and Water Appropriations bill.
Republicans on the House Appropriations Committee advanced the bill last week, but it will likely not get a House vote until the fall, after it returns from summer recess.
In a prepared statement, Fleischmann said the Army Corps is getting $9.9 billion total for 2026, money that will fully fund Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund activities which cover the operation and maintenance of federal ports and harbors, and the highest priority construction projects on the inland waterways system.
Pallone, though, said Republicans are retreating from beach replenishment, a position he said that “has to be reversed.”
“The Jersey Shore needs protection from the next big storm,” he said.
There are five 2026 beach replenishment projects that are in jeopardy of being delayed due to lack of funding if the Energy and Water Appropriations bill becomes law. The projects are all in the 2nd Congressional District, represented by Jeff Van Drew, a Republican. The district starts as far north as Long Beach Island includes all of New Jersey’s southern shore.
One project is in Ocean County and would cover Long Beach Township. The other four are Stone Harbor to Avalon; Cape May to Lower Township; northern Ocean City; and southern Ocean City to Sea Isle City.
Van Drew though said he is fully committed to ensuring the beach nourishment program continues and that the shoreline remains strong and protected
“I will always protect our Jersey Shore. I’m fully aware of the situation, and frankly, it did not come as a surprise. I’ve been working closely with our towns, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the administration to ensure that beach replenishment projects along our coast are fully funded in Fiscal Year ’26, and we fully expect that to happen,” Van Drew said.
