American Rivers’ Statement on President Trump’s 2026 Budget Proposal

Contact: Hawk Hammer, National Communications and Media Director, Hhammer@americanrivers.org 

WASHINGTON D.C. — The White House, on Friday, released its budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year, sometimes called the “skinny budget.” Although the proposal includes welcome increases to select drinking water and emergency response programs, the budget consequentially cuts other programs critical for water infrastructure, healthy rivers, and strong communities. Today, investments are needed to ensure America has the cleanest water in the world, to address crumbling infrastructure and build smarter, and to make America more safe and secure. 

“While there are some bright spots for certain clean drinking water programs, this budget could have a significant harmful impact on families facing extreme weather, polluted water, and crumbling infrastructure without the needed support,” said Leda Huta, vice president of government relations for American Rivers. “Now is the time to strengthen — not scale back — programs that prioritize our national water security for future generations.” 

Cuts proposed in the President’s budget included: 

• Nearly $2.5 billion from the Clean and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, which provides low-cost financing to fund water infrastructure programs that help communities secure clean water.  
• Entirely eliminating the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Community Development Block Grant Program. This program helps protect communities from flooding.   
• Significant cuts to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Non-disaster grants. These grants are used for hazard mitigation, dam safety, and emergency preparedness nationwide. 
• $392 million from the Department of Interior’s National Forest System Management efforts. This would reduce funding for recreation, vegetation, and watershed management in national forests, which are especially critical to supplying drinking water to millions of Americans and protecting the headwaters of many rivers. 

Increases proposed in the President’s budget included:  

• $27 million for the Indian Reservation Drinking Water Program. This program helps Tribes maintain their water infrastructure on tribal lands, including drinking water and wastewater. 
• $9 million — up to $124 million total — to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Drinking Water Program.  This program protects Americans, especially children, from unsafe or contaminated water and properly equips EPA with funds to respond to drinking water disasters and recover from emergencies. 
• $770 million for Infrastructure for Rebuilding American Program (INFRA), which funds resilient infrastructure nationwide, from roads and bridges to wildlife crossings and improved public access to rivers and recreation.