Tribal Access to Clean Water Act of 2025

Key Points

• This bill addresses a severe water crisis on Tribal lands where nearly half of all households lack access to reliable water, clean drinking water, or basic sanitation, and are far more likely than other U.S. households to lack indoor plumbing.
• The bill authorizes roughly $778 million per year from 2026 through 2030 across multiple agencies, including $500 million annually for the Indian Health Service to build and repair water and sanitation facilities on Tribal lands.
• To keep water systems running after they are built, the bill provides $100 million per year for operation and maintenance of Tribal-owned drinking water and sanitation facilities, with priority given to the most in-need systems and at least five years of sustained support after project completion.
• The bill removes cost-sharing requirements that usually force local communities to pay a portion of federal projects, making it easier for Tribes to access the funding without matching contributions or proving they cannot finance the project themselves.
• The legislation provides $60 million per year in technical assistance funding ($30M through USDA and $30M through IHS) so Tribes can hire experts and consultants to help them apply for federal grants and develop the capacity to manage their own water systems.
• Native Hawaiian organizations, including the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, are newly included as eligible recipients for USDA water and waste facility loans and grants, expanding access to communities that were previously excluded from some federal water infrastructure funding.

Votes

No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.