(Allenwood, NJ) – Clean Water Construction Coalition (CWCC) Chair Kyle England issued the following statement on the White House’s FY2027 budget request for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which proposes drastic cuts to water infrastructure funding.

“On April 3, 2026, The White House released an initial set of documents overviewing the Fiscal Year 2027 President’s Budget Request. The budget proposes a 52 percent reduction in annual spending for the EPA, with a significant portion of those cuts coming out of critical water infrastructure financing programs that states, water utilities, and the American people rely on to keep water services safe, reliable, and affordable.”

“The Drinking Water and Clean Water State Revolving Funds (SRFs) are the primary mechanism for federal water infrastructure investment. Through these programs, the EPA makes capitalization grants to states, which then provide low-interest loans for water infrastructure projects. These loans revolve at the state level, ensuring that local water utilities have access to affordable financing. The programs are a triedand-true model of cooperative federalism and have been the driver for getting ecessary projects financed and executed for several decades.”

“Despite this success, the proposed EPA budget would cut SRF funding by over 90 percent. These drastic reductions are out of step with the nation’s growing water infrastructure needs, which the EPA projects will exceed $1.2 trillion over the next twenty years. The consequences of underinvestment are already evident. In January, a sewer interceptor line rupture released hundreds of millions of gallons of raw sewage into the Potomac River. Nationwide, water main breaks occur every two minutes, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers.”

“If enacted, these cuts will erode the SRF programs and harm communities by making it harder to obtain financing for necessary projects that improve public health, protect the environment, and boost economic development.”

“Recent investments from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) were a strong step forward in adequately funding water infrastructure, but communities simply cannot afford to go backward on this progress. CWCC welcomes the opportunity to work with the Trump Administration and the Congress to ensure water infrastructure funding is protected and maintained in FY2027 and beyond.”

The Clean Water Construction Coalition is a nationwide organization of infrastructure construction associations united in support of federal policy that strengthens America’s water and wastewater systems