The House has passed a three-bill funding package that includes funding for the Department of Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Army Corps of Engineers for Fiscal Year 2026. Great Lakes and clean water programs largely maintained funding levels, with modest increases in several areas.

The Coalition, along with more than 70 member groups submitted a letter urging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to withdraw their proposed revision to the definition of “Waters of the United States,” warning that the rule would dramatically weaken the Clean Water Act and put Great Lakes waters at risk.

This morning, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee advanced the American Water Stewardship Act (H.R. 6422), a legislative package that included a 5-year reauthorization of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI). The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition applauds this important step in the legislative process.

Materials from Fall Fly-in 2025

The first federal government shutdown since 2018 threatens ongoing work to restore the Great Lakes and safeguard clean drinking water for more than 30 million people across the region and broader country. The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition is urging federal policymakers to find a path forward that funds restoration efforts and critical clean water monitoring and protection activities.

The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition and over 60 of our member organizations urged House appropriations subcommittees to support robust funding for Great Lakes restoration and clean water priorities in their Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations bills.

The Trump Administration released more details about how its proposed budget would undermine efforts by local, state, and Tribal governments to protect the drinking water, public health, and quality of life for more than 30 million people in the Great Lakes states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

Progress to restore the Great Lakes and protect the drinking water for more than 40 million people would be severely undermined by the Trump Administration’s proposed budget, calling for drastic cuts to core environmental and clean water programs.