ICYMI: President Trump Signs Lake Lanier Wins into Law

WASHINGTON, D.C. - On January 23rd, President Donald J. Trump signed H.R. 6938, the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; and Interior and Environment Appropriations Act, into law. The spending package includes Congressman Andrew Clyde's (GA-09) provisions to protect both Lake Lanier's name and recreation sites.

"With the stroke of his pen, President Trump signed critical wins for our beloved Lake Lanier into law" said Clyde. "From saving small business owners from facing burdensome rebranding costs to providing a solution to keep parks open for families to safely enjoy, the enactment of my effective provisions will preserve and improve Lake Lanier for many years to come. I'm deeply thankful to President Trump for helping deliver this significant victory to Northeast Georgia, and I will continue working to secure commonsense policy wins for the Ninth District."

Due to Rep. Clyde's hard-fought efforts, the FY26 Energy and Water Development appropriations bill includes a provision (Sec. 109) that allows local partners that manage multiple recreation sites at a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) civil works project to spend collected user fees across all sites they oversee at that project, rather than being limited to using the fees only at the specific site where the funds were collected.

The measure mirrors Reps. Andrew Clyde and Rich McCormick's Lanier Parks Local Access Act, which aims to incentivize local governments to manage recreation sites on civil works projects like Lake Lanier - a simple yet effective solution to help keep Lake Lanier parks open, safe, and well-maintained.

Additionally, the FY26 Energy and Water appropriations bill report includes language requested by Rep. Clyde to prohibit the USACE from using taxpayer funds to rename Buford Dam and Lake Lanier:

None of the funds made available by this Act may be used to carry out any action altering the designation of Buford Dam and Lake Sidney Lanier, Georgia, authorized in Public Law 84-457. (Page 65)

Without this codification, nearly 350 local businesses and organizations in North Georgia using "Lanier" in their name would have faced significant rebranding costs. Some examples include the Boys & Girls Clubs of Lanier, Lanier Federal Credit Union, and Lanier Steel Products. Due to Rep. Clyde's efforts, these local groups and businesses will avoid the potential disastrous consequences brought on by a USACE renaming, including burdensome costs and confusion.

Background

In 2023, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers identified Lake Sidney Lanier and Buford Dam to be renamed due to a misguided measure in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021.

For nearly three years, Rep. Clyde has fought to protect and preserve the Ninth District's Lake Lanier and Buford Dam:

March 2023: Rep. Clyde Applauds Pause of Lake Lanier and Buford Dam Renaming Efforts

November 2023: Rep. Clyde Fights to Protect Lake Lanier in Appropriations Process

October 2024: Rep. Clyde Requests Confirmation of Terminated Efforts to Rename Lake Lanier, Buford Dam

July 2025: Rep. Clyde Secures Lake Lanier Wins in FY26 Appropriations Process

January 2026: Rep. Clyde Applauds House Passage of Lake Lanier Wins in FY26 Appropriations Bill