# 119-hr-2073: Defending our Dams Act

119-hr-2073, Defending our Dams Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Newhouse, Dan [R-WA-4] (R-WA); status in_committee; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-04-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2073
- As of: 2026-04-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-2073
- Congress: 119
- Title: Defending our Dams Act
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2025-03-11
- Sponsor: Rep. Newhouse, Dan [R-WA-4] (R-WA)
- Cosponsors: 3
- Policy area: Water Resources Development
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-21

## Summary

**Prohibits federal funds for breaching or functionally altering the Lower Snake River dams.** It also limits spillage operations on those dams to actions approved by the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers, and by the Administrator of the Bonneville Power Administration, who must consider all Columbia River System operations. - Federal agencies: Bars use of any federal funds to allow, lead to, or study a breach or functional alteration of the dams and forbids providing dam‑removal technical assistance. - Operations oversight: Requires that any spillage operations on the Lower Snake River dams receive approval from both the Secretary of the Army and the Bonneville Power Administration Administrator, with decisions made in the context of the Columbia River System. - Scope and clarity: Defines the "Lower Snake River dams" as four named hydroelectric facilities in Washington: Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little Goose, and Lower Granite.

## Cosponsors (3)

- Rep. Baumgartner, Michael [R-WA-5] (R-WA), 2025-03-11T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Fulcher, Russ [R-ID-1] (R-ID), 2025-03-11T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bentz, Cliff [R-OR-2] (R-OR), 2025-03-11T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Limits on Snake River dam removal and spillage: mixed, low. If enacted, federal money would not be used to breach or change the four Lower Snake River dams. The ban would also cover studies and technical help to replace power, flood control, or navigation from removal. Any water spillage at those dams would need approval from both the Army Secretary and the…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9237: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act
- 119-hr-1383: Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act of 2025
- 119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act
- 119-hr-2074: POWER Act
- 119-hr-979: AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act of 2025
- 119-hr-649: Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-2073 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/2073)

## Related
- [119-hr-9237: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9237)
- [119-hr-1383: Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1383)
- [119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage A…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-842)
- [119-hr-2074: POWER Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2074)
- [119-hr-979: AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-979)
- [119-hr-649: Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-649)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2073 (as of 2026-04-21).