Washington – Today the White House released its fiscal year 2026 Discretionary Budget Request, which presents the Trump administration’s spending priorities for the coming fiscal year. Among other things, the plan includes massive cuts to the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) programs, the primary source of federal funding for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure in the country.

The budget plan recommends slashing $2.46 billion from the current $2.76 billion funding level. The Trump administration seeks to eliminate the program outright, and it stated that the remaining $305 million is intended for states to find “alternative funding sources for their water infrastructure.”

The SRF programs typically receive bipartisan support in Congress, as demonstrated at a Senate Environment and Public Works hearing on Wednesday. This funding is particularly critical for small and rural communities that lack access to other financing options. 

In response, Food & Water Watch Executive Director Wenonah Hauter said:

“Trump’s plan to virtually eliminate federal funding for clean, safe water represents a malevolent disregard for public health. Even by Trump’s appalling standards, this direct attack on a benchmark water safety program is unconscionable. 

“Trump has shown once again that he cares nothing for the wellbeing of everyday Americans – he cares only about cutting taxes for his billionaire friends, and making life easier for corporations that pollute and poison our air and water.

“No lawmaker from either party with an ounce of decency could even consider allowing a budget with this sort of blatant disregard for clean water protections to become law.”

According to the EPA’s latest assessments, drinking water, wastewater and stormwater systems need at least $1.3 trillion in improvements over the next 20 years to comply with existing law. Federal funding for water infrastructure, however, has plummeted 77 percent in real terms since its peak in the late 1970s. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law of 2021 provided a five-year infusion of $50 billion, but that funding runs out this year. More information about federal funding for clean water is available here.