NUCA Statement On White House Cuts To Local Water & Sewer Systems

The National Utility Contractors Association (NUCA) issued the following statement by NUCA Vice President of Government Affairs Zack Perconti on the FY2026 budget proposal released by the Trump White House to drastically cut two vital EPA state revolving funds (SRF) used for repairing water infrastructure:

“The White House’s FY2026 budget proposal to zero out the nation’s primary resources for building clean water and sewer systems misses the point: Without these SRF funds, other state and federal programs such as WIFIA will not have the resources to repair our nation’s deficient water infrastructure systems.

“The Drinking Water SRF and Clean Water SRFs are used in conjunction with the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) and USDA’s Water and Wastewater Loan and Grant programs to build local water and sewer systems, and have done so for the last 40 years. None of these programs are adequately funded today to meet the projected $1.2 trillion needed to maintain and replace these aging systems over the next 20 years. Cutting these federal programs does not fix anyone’s water or sewer system. States simply will not be able to fill the funding gap.

“IIJA was a great first step in fixing the nation’s infrastructure. But since its passage too many in Washington have used the 2021 law as an excuse for pinching pennies. Last year, Congress at the last minute had to restore the SRFs to their FY2024 levels, around $3 billion, after House appropriators failed to understand the vital part they play in maintaining our nation’s water and wastewater systems.

“NUCA welcomes working with the Trump Administration to restore and increase both SRFs and other water infrastructure resources in the FY2026 process. We know savings can be found across the U.S. government, but certainly not at the expense of basic public health services and economic growth.” Tags: NUCA