Tribal Nations Right to Clean Water

Universal Access to Clean Water for Tribal Communities, U.S.:

Trust Further Undermined.

The President’s Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Request Impacts on Tribal Drinking Water and Colorado River Programs. 

Tribal Nations have a right to clean water. It’s written into the treaty and trust obligations the federal government owes them.

Our new report, “Trust Further Undermined,” looks at what the Administration’s FY2027 Budget Request would mean for Tribal drinking water and Colorado River programs. The proposed cuts are steep. Compared to FY26 enacted levels, the FY27 request cuts funding for these programs by 46%, or $602.4 million, across five agencies: Reclamation, BIA, IHS, EPA, and USDA.

WaterSMART and the Title XVI water recycling program would be eliminated. IHS Sanitation Facilities Construction, the program that connects Tribal homes to water and sewer lines, would be cut 87%. Today, an estimated 48% of Tribal homes still don’t have reliable drinking water access, and Native households are 19 times more likely than white households to lack indoor plumbing.

These cuts come as the Colorado River Basin moves into a new post-2026 operating framework that will shape water management for the next decade.

We are calling on Congress and the Administration to restore this funding, coordinate across agencies, and set real targets to ensure every Tribal household has reliable access to clean water.

Read the full report (PDF)