Could Trump Compromise the Most Vital River in the West?
The allocation of drought relief funds remains stalled, causing growing concern across the West.
TroibNews 
A Native American tribe with a significant water claim issued an ultimatum to the Trump administration: Allocate funds to protect the Colorado River — or face a confrontation over the future of this crucial waterway in the West.
In an unexpected move, the Trump administration conceded.
The Interior Department released $105 million just eight days later, compensating the tribe for efforts to repair leaking canals and implement other protective measures for a river that sustains agriculture and communities across seven states.
This outcome marked a victory for Arizona’s Gila River Indian Community and represented a notable success amid the ongoing struggle among cities, farmers, and tribes over drought funding related to the Democrats' Inflation Reduction Act.
The previously unreported incident from last month highlights the deep concern of Western officials about the Trump administration’s freeze on hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding for the river, which serves 40 million people and supports a $1.4 trillion economy, yet has suffered from a megadrought lasting more than two decades.
Currently, the Gila River tribe remains one of the few groups to have had its funding released. Most others with federal contracts for water-saving initiatives are still uncertain about their payment status.
This funding freeze is part of a broader series of unprecedented actions by the Trump administration, raising alarms among officials tasked with ensuring water delivery and irrigation across a vast region spanning major cities like Denver, Phoenix, Los Angeles, and San Diego.
Among these actions was the president’s first-day executive order aimed at increasing California water deliveries, which resulted in an unexpected release of billions of gallons that nearly inundated downstream farms.
Moreover, staffing reductions enacted by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency at the Bureau of Reclamation threaten to undermine its ability to manage the complex, aging systems of reservoirs, canals, and pumps responsible for water distribution in several areas.
The ongoing funding interruption complicates negotiations at a critical moment. States sharing the oversubscribed waterway are attempting to draft new governing rules, with negotiators viewing the upcoming months as crucial to avoid debilitating legal disputes.
The federal funds are vital to the negotiation process.
“This is now a major, major problem,” remarked Sen. Mark Kelly, who has corresponded with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum regarding the freeze on payments from a $4 billion allocation in the Inflation Reduction Act designated to incentive cities, farms, and tribes to conserve water and support long-term infrastructure projects.
The Gila River tribe’s withdrawal of 10,000 acre-feet of water last month, while small compared to Lake Mead — the largest reservoir on the Arizona-Nevada border — sent a significant message within the intricate dynamics of Western water management.
"We have given the Department every opportunity to avoid what would be a calamitous break in our longstanding partnership, with terrible consequences for the entire Basin,” expressed Stephen Roe Lewis, the community’s governor, in a letter to Burgum on February 11, shortly before withdrawing water from Lake Mead to store it in Arizona.
This action led to the Interior Department releasing the tribe's funding on February 19.
An Interior Department spokesperson stated that the agency is “dedicated to providing life-sustaining water and harnessing the significant hydropower the river offers.”
“We are actively engaging in dialogue with the Colorado River Basin partners as we work towards long-term operational agreements for the river after 2026. Throughout this effort, we remain committed to ensuring fiscal responsibility for the American people,” the spokesperson noted in an emailed statement.
As it stands, the Gila River tribe is the only entity to withdraw water. However, 40 percent of Lake Mead's supplies are controlled by cities, farms, and tribes; additional withdrawals could lead to rapid declines in reservoir levels, potentially necessitating severe reductions in water allocations to preserve the Hoover Dam's hydropower generation and downstream deliveries.
The ongoing turmoil from the Trump administration is unsettling officials responsible for maintaining water access for municipalities, agriculture, and tribal communities.
“We’re in an increasingly uncertain world,” stated Tom Buschatzke, director of Arizona’s Department of Water Resources.
The Colorado River has historically faced disputes, exacerbated by a century-old miscalculation that allocated more water to states than the river can produce. However, as climate change has caused river flows to decline — estimated to have decreased by 20 percent over the past 25 years — states have chosen to collaborate to sustain the river rather than engage in conflicts over limited resources.
Federal funding has facilitated this cooperation, including a $1.2 billion allocation for a 2023 agreement among California, Arizona, and Nevada, aimed at encouraging farmers, cities, and tribes to conserve water in Lake Mead while new regulatory frameworks are established.
Despite the drought funding originating from the Inflation Reduction Act, a Biden-era measure that Trump has promised to dismantle, Western officials initially anticipated these funds would remain secure under his administration. The $4 billion allocation is relatively small compared to the law's extensive budget for climate initiatives and has garnered bipartisan support across a landscape of red and blue states.
“These are not greeny environmental programs,” commented Anne Castle, a former appointee to the Upper Colorado River Commission during the Biden administration. “A lot of this money is going to rural farmers to reduce their diversions who are counting on that money.”
This funding was intended to be a stepping stone. As states navigate complex negotiations over water management structures post-2026, there is consensus on the necessity for substantial funding to implement any agreements.
The uncertainty surrounding previously anticipated financial resources is impacting the negotiations.
Sen. John Hickenlooper, who played a pivotal role in securing IRA drought funding, confirmed that the freeze is “absolutely” affecting discussions.
“So much of what we're negotiating is dependent upon, ‘You get this, we get that,’” he explained.
“Seven different states have to find a consensus from the compromises made, and that requires clarity on the funding,” he added.
California Sen. Alex Padilla described the freeze’s implications as “harsh, devastating” for the negotiations.
The efforts to negotiate terms for the Colorado River represent one of the nation’s largest climate adaptation challenges, eliciting difficult decisions from elected officials in states ranging from Wyoming to California regarding how to reduce water usage while balancing urban, suburban, and agricultural needs — all without inciting political backlash.
Recent state discussions have been contentious, filled with heated exchanges and threats of Supreme Court litigation that could disrupt the entire region. However, in recent months, negotiators have convened with increasing regularity. Upstream states — Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Wyoming — started to rally around a more robust water conservation program in late January.
Financing for this initiative would almost certainly have come from the IRA funding, Castle noted. The freeze not only stalls the program but also complicates efforts to persuade water users — particularly skeptical farmers — to participate.
“The uncertainty in the system I think has a broader effect in that people will start to wonder whether this is a legitimate program they can rely on,” she remarked.
Meanwhile, the administration’s management of dam operations has alarmed water managers. In late January, following the president’s unfounded accusations against California Gov. Gavin Newsom regarding the wildfires in Los Angeles, the White House instructed the Army Corps of Engineers to release water from two Central Valley dams.
This decision left water officials throughout the West astounded, as they understood that the released water could not physically reach Los Angeles, and the volume initially ordered by the White House posed risks to downstream communities.
Although this incident did not directly affect the Colorado River system, Castle noted that it “absolutely” raised concerns among water managers in that basin, especially among upstream states responsible for reservoirs whose operations are hotly debated amid ongoing negotiations.
“I think that is a very significant concern for the federal reservoirs in the Upper Basin based on what we saw at the end of January in California,” she highlighted.
For the time being, state officials aim to remain composed, hoping for stabilization as the Trump administration appoints personnel within the Interior Department. The Bureau of Reclamation, crucial for managing Western water resources, is currently lacking a confirmed commissioner following Trump’s decisions.
“There’s a federal-shaped hole in the post-2026 process that’s waiting to be filled,” said J.B. Hamby, California’s lead negotiator for the river and chair of the Colorado River Board of California.
Alejandro Jose Martinez contributed to this report for TROIB News
In an unexpected move, the Trump administration conceded.
The Interior Department released $105 million just eight days later, compensating the tribe for efforts to repair leaking canals and implement other protective measures for a river that sustains agriculture and communities across seven states.
This outcome marked a victory for Arizona’s Gila River Indian Community and represented a notable success amid the ongoing struggle among cities, farmers, and tribes over drought funding related to the Democrats' Inflation Reduction Act.
The previously unreported incident from last month highlights the deep concern of Western officials about the Trump administration’s freeze on hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding for the river, which serves 40 million people and supports a $1.4 trillion economy, yet has suffered from a megadrought lasting more than two decades.
Currently, the Gila River tribe remains one of the few groups to have had its funding released. Most others with federal contracts for water-saving initiatives are still uncertain about their payment status.
This funding freeze is part of a broader series of unprecedented actions by the Trump administration, raising alarms among officials tasked with ensuring water delivery and irrigation across a vast region spanning major cities like Denver, Phoenix, Los Angeles, and San Diego.
Among these actions was the president’s first-day executive order aimed at increasing California water deliveries, which resulted in an unexpected release of billions of gallons that nearly inundated downstream farms.
Moreover, staffing reductions enacted by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency at the Bureau of Reclamation threaten to undermine its ability to manage the complex, aging systems of reservoirs, canals, and pumps responsible for water distribution in several areas.
The ongoing funding interruption complicates negotiations at a critical moment. States sharing the oversubscribed waterway are attempting to draft new governing rules, with negotiators viewing the upcoming months as crucial to avoid debilitating legal disputes.
The federal funds are vital to the negotiation process.
“This is now a major, major problem,” remarked Sen. Mark Kelly, who has corresponded with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum regarding the freeze on payments from a $4 billion allocation in the Inflation Reduction Act designated to incentive cities, farms, and tribes to conserve water and support long-term infrastructure projects.
The Gila River tribe’s withdrawal of 10,000 acre-feet of water last month, while small compared to Lake Mead — the largest reservoir on the Arizona-Nevada border — sent a significant message within the intricate dynamics of Western water management.
"We have given the Department every opportunity to avoid what would be a calamitous break in our longstanding partnership, with terrible consequences for the entire Basin,” expressed Stephen Roe Lewis, the community’s governor, in a letter to Burgum on February 11, shortly before withdrawing water from Lake Mead to store it in Arizona.
This action led to the Interior Department releasing the tribe's funding on February 19.
An Interior Department spokesperson stated that the agency is “dedicated to providing life-sustaining water and harnessing the significant hydropower the river offers.”
“We are actively engaging in dialogue with the Colorado River Basin partners as we work towards long-term operational agreements for the river after 2026. Throughout this effort, we remain committed to ensuring fiscal responsibility for the American people,” the spokesperson noted in an emailed statement.
As it stands, the Gila River tribe is the only entity to withdraw water. However, 40 percent of Lake Mead's supplies are controlled by cities, farms, and tribes; additional withdrawals could lead to rapid declines in reservoir levels, potentially necessitating severe reductions in water allocations to preserve the Hoover Dam's hydropower generation and downstream deliveries.
The ongoing turmoil from the Trump administration is unsettling officials responsible for maintaining water access for municipalities, agriculture, and tribal communities.
“We’re in an increasingly uncertain world,” stated Tom Buschatzke, director of Arizona’s Department of Water Resources.
The Colorado River has historically faced disputes, exacerbated by a century-old miscalculation that allocated more water to states than the river can produce. However, as climate change has caused river flows to decline — estimated to have decreased by 20 percent over the past 25 years — states have chosen to collaborate to sustain the river rather than engage in conflicts over limited resources.
Federal funding has facilitated this cooperation, including a $1.2 billion allocation for a 2023 agreement among California, Arizona, and Nevada, aimed at encouraging farmers, cities, and tribes to conserve water in Lake Mead while new regulatory frameworks are established.
Despite the drought funding originating from the Inflation Reduction Act, a Biden-era measure that Trump has promised to dismantle, Western officials initially anticipated these funds would remain secure under his administration. The $4 billion allocation is relatively small compared to the law's extensive budget for climate initiatives and has garnered bipartisan support across a landscape of red and blue states.
“These are not greeny environmental programs,” commented Anne Castle, a former appointee to the Upper Colorado River Commission during the Biden administration. “A lot of this money is going to rural farmers to reduce their diversions who are counting on that money.”
This funding was intended to be a stepping stone. As states navigate complex negotiations over water management structures post-2026, there is consensus on the necessity for substantial funding to implement any agreements.
The uncertainty surrounding previously anticipated financial resources is impacting the negotiations.
Sen. John Hickenlooper, who played a pivotal role in securing IRA drought funding, confirmed that the freeze is “absolutely” affecting discussions.
“So much of what we're negotiating is dependent upon, ‘You get this, we get that,’” he explained.
“Seven different states have to find a consensus from the compromises made, and that requires clarity on the funding,” he added.
California Sen. Alex Padilla described the freeze’s implications as “harsh, devastating” for the negotiations.
The efforts to negotiate terms for the Colorado River represent one of the nation’s largest climate adaptation challenges, eliciting difficult decisions from elected officials in states ranging from Wyoming to California regarding how to reduce water usage while balancing urban, suburban, and agricultural needs — all without inciting political backlash.
Recent state discussions have been contentious, filled with heated exchanges and threats of Supreme Court litigation that could disrupt the entire region. However, in recent months, negotiators have convened with increasing regularity. Upstream states — Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Wyoming — started to rally around a more robust water conservation program in late January.
Financing for this initiative would almost certainly have come from the IRA funding, Castle noted. The freeze not only stalls the program but also complicates efforts to persuade water users — particularly skeptical farmers — to participate.
“The uncertainty in the system I think has a broader effect in that people will start to wonder whether this is a legitimate program they can rely on,” she remarked.
Meanwhile, the administration’s management of dam operations has alarmed water managers. In late January, following the president’s unfounded accusations against California Gov. Gavin Newsom regarding the wildfires in Los Angeles, the White House instructed the Army Corps of Engineers to release water from two Central Valley dams.
This decision left water officials throughout the West astounded, as they understood that the released water could not physically reach Los Angeles, and the volume initially ordered by the White House posed risks to downstream communities.
Although this incident did not directly affect the Colorado River system, Castle noted that it “absolutely” raised concerns among water managers in that basin, especially among upstream states responsible for reservoirs whose operations are hotly debated amid ongoing negotiations.
“I think that is a very significant concern for the federal reservoirs in the Upper Basin based on what we saw at the end of January in California,” she highlighted.
For the time being, state officials aim to remain composed, hoping for stabilization as the Trump administration appoints personnel within the Interior Department. The Bureau of Reclamation, crucial for managing Western water resources, is currently lacking a confirmed commissioner following Trump’s decisions.
“There’s a federal-shaped hole in the post-2026 process that’s waiting to be filled,” said J.B. Hamby, California’s lead negotiator for the river and chair of the Colorado River Board of California.
Alejandro Jose Martinez contributed to this report for TROIB News
