I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5243 
To rescind certain amounts appropriated for Internal Revenue Service enforce-
ment and COVID–19 relief and authorize such amounts to be redirected 
to water-related projects, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
AUGUST 18, 2023 
Mr. SANTOS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committees on Appro-
priations, Energy and Commerce, Transportation and Infrastructure, and 
Natural Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within 
the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To rescind certain amounts appropriated for Internal Rev-
enue Service enforcement and COVID–19 relief and au-
thorize such amounts to be redirected to water-related 
projects, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Less Talk More Action 
Water Modernization Act of 2023’’. 
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SEC. 2. RESCISSION AND REDIRECTION OF CERTAIN 
AMOUNTS TO WATER-RELATED PROJECTS. 
(a) RESCISSION OF UNEXPENDED IRS FUNDS.—The 
unexpended balance of amounts appropriated or otherwise 
made available for activities of the Internal Revenue Serv-
ice by section 10301 of Public Law 117–169 on the date 
of the enactment of this Act are hereby permanently re-
scinded. 
(b) 
RESCISSION
OF
UNEXPENDED
COVID-19 
FUNDS.—The unexpended balance of amounts appro-
priated or otherwise made available for COVID–19 relief 
by each of Public Laws 116–123, 116–127, 116–136, 
116–139, 117–2, and divisions M and N of Public Law 
116–260 on the date of the enactment of this Act are 
hereby permanently rescinded. 
(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be 
appropriated, for each of fiscal years 2024 through 
2026, provided that such funds are fully obligated 
by December 13, 2023— 
(A) to the Administrator of the Environ-
mental Protection Agency— 
(i) for the Clean Water State Revolv-
ing Funds under title VI of the Federal 
Water 
Pollution 
Control 
Act, 
$1,103,000,000; and 
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(ii) for the Drinking Water State Re-
volving Funds under section 1452 of the 
Safe Drinking Water Act, $665,400,000; 
and 
(B) for projects pertaining to water infra-
structure, water conveyance and storage, safety, 
hydropower generation, water treatment and 
water contamination remediation, moderniza-
tion projects, and dam development— 
(i) under the direction of the Sec-
retary of the Army and the supervision of 
the Chief of Engineers for authorized civil 
functions of the Department of the Army, 
$1,900,000,000; and 
(ii) to the Department of the Interior 
for 
the 
Bureau 
of 
Reclamation, 
$1,163,400,000, 
provided that at least $200,000,000 of such 
amounts shall be allocated to the Northeast re-
gion of the United States, including Long Is-
land and New York City, for water-related 
projects. 
(2) CHINESE DEBT OBLIGATIONS.—In the event 
that the amounts rescinded under subsections (a) 
and (b) are not equal to or greater than the 
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amounts authorized under paragraph (1), amounts 
necessary to equal amounts authorized under such 
paragraph shall be authorized to be paid before 
amounts necessary for payments with respect to 
Federal Government notes, bonds, and other securi-
ties held by the People’s Republic of China or the 
Chinese Communist Party. 
Æ 
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