Clean water is a human right denied to millions of people in this country. Sky-rocketing bills make water unaffordable, while corporate pollution contaminates the water we drink. But instead of addressing this crisis, Donald Trump and his allies in Congress are making things much, much worse. 

They’re gutting essential protections to clear the way for corporate polluters to contaminate our water supplies. And they’re aiming to slash funding for clean water, while planning massive tax giveaways for billionaires and corporations.

As we fight these budget cuts and rollbacks, we also have a massive opportunity for progress. On May 13, Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, Rep. Ro Khanna, and Sen. Bernie Sanders reintroduced the WATER (Water Affordability, Transparency, Equity, and Reliability) Act. This landmark bill would designate the funds necessary to protect and clean up our water, fix outdated infrastructure, and ensure affordable water for all. 

Congress now faces two options: They can move the Trump agenda and slash clean water funding, or they can pass the WATER Act and safeguard our water. They can choose profits for corporations, or safe water for the 340 million people in this country. The choice should be clear.

Trump’s Funding Cuts Will Raise the Costs of Water for Families

Corporate pollution, aging infrastructure, federal disinvestment, and climate change are fueling a crisis for our nation’s water systems. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has calculated that upgrading our water and wastewater infrastructure will cost $1.3 trillion over the next two decades just to comply with existing federal law. Without renewed federal support, our communities cannot address this crisis and protect our water. 

But rather than working to provide that funding, Trump and his allies in Congress are defunding clean water. The administration’s 2026 budget plan nearly eliminates federal funding for clean water. It proposes cutting the State Revolving Funds, the main avenue for federal funding to states for clean water projects, by almost 90%, and announces its goal to end the program entirely.

To make matters worse, Trump advises states to find “alternative funding sources for their water infrastructure.” Make no mistake, the goal is to push more public water systems to sell off to private water corporations. This will undoubtedly lead to worse service and more expensive water for families across the country.

And Trump’s budget plan comes at the same time that Congress is advancing a budget reconciliation proposal to provide massive tax breaks that largely benefit corporations and the wealthy.  

With all these cuts, basic water service will become even more expensive in the middle of an affordability crisis. Right now, according to EPA estimates, as many as nearly 20 million families struggle to pay their water bills. Raising the costs of water, which we all need to live and thrive, is cruel and should not be on the table.

Slashing Funding and Protections Will Make Us Sicker

Trump’s agenda promises not just more expensive water, but more dangerous water, too. Already, 7 million people get sick from drinking or other exposure to unsafe water every year. Nine million families get water through lead service lines, and more than 150 million people receive drinking water contaminated with toxic PFAS. 

Yet, Trump would rather prioritize corporate polluters than address this crisis. With Elon Musk at his side, he has illegally frozen basic water programs. He’s moved to dismantle agencies tasked with keeping our water safe, including the EPA, which he plans to cut by more than half. And he’s destroying basic environmental protections against corporate water pollution.

It wasn’t so long ago that we had no EPA protections for water. Back then, rivers became so choked with toxic waste that they burst into flames. Vast swaths of the country could not swim or fish or boat for fear of the water itself. 

Trump is dragging us back to this time and gutting our ability to respond to emerging threats like microplastics and PFAS “forever chemicals.” Defunding public water will make it even harder to ensure safe water for all. Without action, more people will get sick and even die. 

The good news is, the WATER Act provides a powerful opportunity for just the action we need.

The WATER Act Puts People Before Profit

With Congress’s budget plan, Republican lawmakers have proposed to extend and grow Trump’s 2017 tax law with $4.5 trillion in tax giveaways, mostly for corporations and the ultra-wealthy.

But by letting a small portion of Trump’s tax cuts expire, Congress could raise enough funds to fully fund our nation’s water infrastructure. And that’s just what Rep. Watson Coleman’s WATER Act proposes, by creating a trust fund for safe and clean water.

The WATER Act would provide permanent, dedicated funding for our nation’s water and sewer systems each and every year. This would protect that funding from annual congressional spending battles and Trump’s proposed budget cuts. 

How exactly would the WATER Act ensure clean, affordable water for all? Among other measures, it would:

• Make water more affordable by boosting federal funding overall and providing grants to struggling communities (while also creating up to 1 million good jobs);
• Prepare our aging infrastructure for a climate-changed world, protecting our water from unprecedented fires, supercharged storms, droughts, and floods;
• Protect us from PFAS water contamination by providing support for updating treatment systems or finding alternative water supplies when communities’ water has been contaminated;
• Support publicly owned water systems by helping communities get out of water privatization contracts, which lead to worse service and higher bills; and 
• Get the lead out by funding lead service line replacements with copper service lines at no cost to households. 

At a time when clean water is under attack from the highest office in the country, Congress must pass the WATER Act. Our leaders must put safe water and the well-being of families above corporate profits.

The WATER Act Will Help Us Get the Lead Out

The WATER Act could not come at a better time, as protections against toxic lead contamination are under threat. In 2024, Biden’s EPA finalized the Lead Out of Water Rule (officially called the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements), mandating the replacement of every lead service line in most communities nationwide. 

This year, congressional Republicans went after the rule. They introduced a bill to fast-track a permanent rollback using the Congressional Review Act, which would have blocked the EPA from issuing a Lead Out of Water Rule this powerful ever again.

But the dedication of Food & Water Watch and our allies defeated these efforts! As soon as Trump stepped into office, we rallied to preserve the Lead Out of Water Rule. We held 20 events and drove more than 40,000 messages to Congressmembers, demanding they defend this rule.

Representatives heard us — the repeal bill never came up for a vote before the May 8 deadline to use the Congressional Review Act. 

This victory shows us that with concerted, relentless action, we can defend our most important resources.

However, the fight isn’t over yet. The Lead Out of Water rule faces litigation from the American Water Works Association. In June, Trump’s EPA will decide whether to defend or delay it in court. It’s also weighing whether to defend, delay, or rollback new PFAS regulations. 

So, how is the WATER Act important? The industry claims the new water protections are too expensive. The WATER Act would make this argument moot by providing the federal funding necessary to remove lead pipes and PFAS from our water systems. 

We shouldn’t have to choose between safe or affordable water, and the WATER Act ensures we can have both. 

Updated May 16, 2025 with 2025 data on EPA water funding and need.