A special thanks to Valley Water for their generous support of this news alert. Your commitment helps drive our mission forward. 

NWC members,

There’s a lot happening in our nation’s capital right now, with more news than we can report at once. However, we want to bring two key developments to your attention, as well as remind you about NWC’s Legislative Summit:

Updates from the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works (ASACW) Office – We’ve learned that an announcement regarding the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works (PDASACW) is expected soon – likely within the next month. As for the ASACW role, multiple names are being unofficially floated for the position. However, this process is anticipated to take longer, with confirmation potentially stretching into the summer or fall of 2025. In the interim, as of last Friday, Robyn Colosimo (Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Project Planning and Review), Office of ASACW, U.S. Army) is serving as the Senior Official Performing the Duties of the ASACW, and Stacy Brown (Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Management and Budget), Office of the ASACW, U.S. Army) is acting as the PDASACW.

Recent Executive Orders to Watch – Since President Trump took office on January 20, 2025, he has issued a significant number of executive orders (EO). Notably, on his first day back in office, he signed 26 executive orders, reversing many Biden-era policies and since then, has issued more. Some of the orders relevant to our members are below:

  • Jan. 27
      • *A lawsuit was filed on Jan. 28 challenging the administration’s directive and a judge put a temporary hold on the freeze until Feb. 3. As a result, the Trump administration rescinded the memo on Jan. 29.
      • The White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released this memorandum on Jan. 27 which states, effective January 28, 2025, at 5:00 PM, all federal agencies must temporarily halt the obligation and disbursement of federal financial assistance, including grants and loans, while conducting a comprehensive review of these programs to align with the Administration’s priorities.
      • Agencies must assess all federal financial assistance programs for consistency with recent executive orders and Administration policies, including those targeting DEI, gender ideology, climate-related initiatives, abortion, illegal aliens, foreign aid, impede the development/ use of domestic energy, or programs not performing effectively, with reports due to the OMB by February 10, 2025.
      • Agencies may seek OMB approval for exceptions on a case-by-case basis. Each program must have oversight assigned to a senior political appointee to ensure compliance with Administration priorities.
      • The order does not impact Social Security, Medicare payments or food stamps.
      • However, the memo will impact grants and loans, at least in the short term, from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Maritime Administration, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Commerce, and federal agencies.
  • Jan. 24:
      • The Executive Order directs federal agencies to maximize water deliveries and increase hydropower production in Southern California, prioritizing wildfire prevention and disaster response, with authority to override conflicting state or local policies.
      • The EO establishing the Federal Emergency Management Agency Review Council to evaluate FEMA’s effectiveness, impartiality, and mission focus in disaster response, with the Council tasked to provide recommendations for improvements or structural changes.
  • Jan. 20
      • The EO directs federal agencies to promote energy exploration and production on federal lands and the Outer Continental Shelf to enhance domestic energy output.
      • It pauses disbursements for specific programs under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), particularly those related to clean energy and climate initiatives, for a 90-day review period. The pause may delay funding for water and navigation infrastructure projects supported by IIJA and IRA, including those addressing emissions reductions, resilience, and clean energy transitions at ports, waterways and water resources.
      • It directs the elimination of federal policies mandating electric vehicle sales, including subsidies and emissions waivers that prioritize electric over gasoline-powered vehicles.
      • The EO rescinds multiple executive orders that focused on renewable energy, emissions reductions, and climate change initiatives, redirecting federal priorities toward traditional energy resource development.
      • The EO establishing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to modernize federal technology and software, aiming to enhance governmental efficiency and productivity. The order restructures the United States Digital Service (USDS) into the United States DOGE Service and mandates the creation of DOGE Teams within each federal agency. These teams are tasked with implementing the President’s DOGE Agenda, focusing on improving software quality, network infrastructure, and IT systems across the government.
      • The memorandum withdraws all areas of the Outer Continental Shelf from new or renewed offshore wind energy leasing until further notice.
      • The Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with the Attorney General, will assess current wind energy leases for potential amendments or termination, with a report to be submitted to the President.
      • Federal agencies are instructed to stop issuing new wind energy permits, rights of way, or loans for onshore and offshore wind projects while a review of leasing and permitting practices is conducted.
      • This memorandum halts any proposed or new rules until they are reviewed and approved by a department or agency head appointed or designated by the President after January 20, 2025.
      • Immediately withdraw any rules that have been sent to the Office of the Federal Register but not yet published, pending review and approval.
      • Agency heads are encouraged to consider postponing, for 60 days the effective dates of rules that have been published but have not yet taken effect, to allow for a review of questions of fact, law, and policy.
      • This memorandum was sent to the heads of all departments and agencies in the executive branch of Federal Government. The agency heads were instructed to, as soon as practicable, take all necessary steps to terminate remote work arrangements and require employees to return to work in-person at their respective duty stations on a full-time basis, provided that the department and agency heads shall make exemptions they deem necessary.
      • The order rescinds Executive Order 13985, “Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government,” ending diversity, equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies.
      • It revokes Executive Order 14008, “Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad,” signaling a shift away from the previous administration’s climate change mitigation efforts.

NWC’s Legislative Summit (March 10-12, 2025), New Speakers Added/Early Bird Extended – Just a quick reminder that we have extended the early bird registration rate for NWC’s Legislative Summit until the end of the week. We locked in a number of high-level speakers in the past several days so be sure to check out our latest agenda on NWC’s Legislative Summit page. Stay tuned for more speaker announcements next week!