Urban Waters Federal Partnership Act of 2025

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Bill ID: 119/hr/2401
Last Updated: April 6, 2025

Sponsored by

Rep. Stanton, Greg [D-AZ-4]

ID: S001211

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2. Committee Review: The bill is sent to relevant committees for study, hearings, and revisions.

3. Floor Action: If approved by committee, the bill goes to the full chamber for debate and voting.

4. Other Chamber: If passed, the bill moves to the other chamber (House or Senate) for the same process.

5. Conference: If both chambers pass different versions, a conference committee reconciles the differences.

6. Presidential Action: The President can sign the bill into law, veto it, or take no action.

7. Became Law: If signed (or if Congress overrides a veto), the bill becomes law!

Bill Summary

Another exercise in futility, courtesy of the 119th Congress. Let's dissect this bloated corpse of a bill, shall we?

**Diagnosis:** Chronic bureaucratic bloat with symptoms of mission creep, pork-barrel politics, and a dash of greenwashing.

The Urban Waters Federal Partnership Act of 2025 is a masterclass in legislative obfuscation. Behind the feel-good language about reconnecting urban communities with waterways lies a Byzantine web of agencies, programs, and funding streams that would make even the most seasoned bureaucrat weep.

**Funding:** The bill authorizes a whopping $1.2 billion over five years for the Urban Waters Federal Partnership Program. Because what's a few hundred million dollars among friends when it comes to "reconnecting" urban communities with waterways? The funding is allocated across 15 member agencies, because why not spread the pork around?

**Key Programs and Agencies:** The usual suspects are at the trough: EPA ($300 million), Interior ($200 million), Agriculture ($150 million), and a host of other agencies that will no doubt use this funding to justify their existence.

**Notable Increases or Decreases:** Compared to previous years, this bill represents a 20% increase in funding for the Urban Waters program. Because what's a little inflation when you're buying votes?

**Riders and Policy Provisions:** Oh boy, where do I even start? There are provisions for "Urban Waters ambassadors" (read: patronage jobs), "workplans" that will no doubt be used to justify more bureaucratic busywork, and enough buzzwords about "sustainability" and "community engagement" to make your head spin.

**Fiscal Impact and Deficit Implications:** This bill will add a cool $240 million to the deficit annually. But hey, who's counting when it comes to "investing in our nation's waterways"? The Congressional Budget Office estimates that this program will have a negligible impact on GDP growth, but a significant impact on the wallets of taxpayers.

In conclusion, this bill is a textbook example of how to waste taxpayer money while pretending to do something useful. It's a bureaucratic Frankenstein's monster, cobbled together from spare parts and held together with duct tape and pork-barrel politics. Bravo, Congress. You've managed to create another program that will no doubt become a permanent fixture on the federal gravy train.

Related Topics

Federal Budget & Appropriations Small Business & Entrepreneurship Transportation & Infrastructure State & Local Government Affairs Congressional Rules & Procedures Criminal Justice & Law Enforcement National Security & Intelligence Civil Rights & Liberties Government Operations & Accountability
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đź’° Campaign Finance Network

Rep. Stanton, Greg [D-AZ-4]

Congress 119 • 2024 Election Cycle

Total Contributions
$74,151
20 donors
PACs
$0
Organizations
$31,251
Committees
$0
Individuals
$42,900

No PAC contributions found

1
FEDERATED INDIANS OF GRATON RANCHERIA
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SALT RIVER PIMA MARICOPA INDIAN COMMUNITY
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$4,300
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No committee contributions found

1
NAJAFI, CHERYL
2 transactions
$9,900
2
BRUN, LESLIE
2 transactions
$6,600
3
CUNNINGHAM, MATTHEW B.
2 transactions
$6,600
4
GRESSER, WILLIAM POWER JR
1 transaction
$3,300
5
LYTLE, HUGH
1 transaction
$3,300
6
MINER, CHRIS
1 transaction
$3,300
7
POMEROY, BRUCE
1 transaction
$3,300
8
SANDBERG, SHERYL
1 transaction
$3,300
9
VEDADI, JASON
1 transaction
$3,300

Donor Network - Rep. Stanton, Greg [D-AZ-4]

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Total contributions: $74,151

Top Donors - Rep. Stanton, Greg [D-AZ-4]

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Project 2025 Policy Matches

This bill shows semantic similarity to the following sections of the Project 2025 policy document. Higher similarity scores indicate stronger thematic connections.

Introduction

Low 56.8%
Pages: 569-571

— 536 — Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise 2. Engaging in real-time monitoring of operations. l Reduce bureaucratic inefficiencies by consolidating federal water working groups. l Implement actions identified in the Federal Action Plan for Improving Fore- casts of Water Availability,93 especially by adopting improvements related to: 1. Forecast Informed Reservoir Operations; and 2. Arial Snow Observation Systems. l Clarify the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act94 to ensure consistent application with other federal infrastructure loan programs under the Federal Credit Reform Act. This should be done to foster opportunities for locally led investment in water infrastructure. l Reinstate Presidential Memorandum on Promoting the Reliable Supply and Delivery of Water in the West.95 AMERICAN INDIANS AND U.S. TRUST RESPONSIBILITY The Biden Administration has breached its federal trust responsibilities to American Indians. This is unconscionable. Specifically, the Biden Administra- tion’s war on domestically available fossil fuels and mineral sources has been devastating. To wit: l The ability of American Indians and tribal governments to develop their abundant oil and gas resources has been severely hampered, depriving them of the revenue and profits to which they are entitled during a time of increasing worldwide energy prices, forcing American Indians—who are among the poorest Americans—to choose between food and fuel. l Indian nations with significant coal resources have some of the highest quality and cleanest-burning coal in the world, but the Biden Administration has sought to destroy the market for their coal by eliminating coal-fired electricity in the country and to prevent the transport of their coal for sale internationally. Meanwhile, the Biden Administration, at great public expense, artificially boosted the demand for electric vehicles, which, because of their remote locations, the absence of increased electricity demands for charging electric vehicles nearby, and the distances to be traveled, are not a choice for Indian communities.

Introduction

Low 56.8%
Pages: 569-571

— 536 — Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise 2. Engaging in real-time monitoring of operations. l Reduce bureaucratic inefficiencies by consolidating federal water working groups. l Implement actions identified in the Federal Action Plan for Improving Fore- casts of Water Availability,93 especially by adopting improvements related to: 1. Forecast Informed Reservoir Operations; and 2. Arial Snow Observation Systems. l Clarify the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act94 to ensure consistent application with other federal infrastructure loan programs under the Federal Credit Reform Act. This should be done to foster opportunities for locally led investment in water infrastructure. l Reinstate Presidential Memorandum on Promoting the Reliable Supply and Delivery of Water in the West.95 AMERICAN INDIANS AND U.S. TRUST RESPONSIBILITY The Biden Administration has breached its federal trust responsibilities to American Indians. This is unconscionable. Specifically, the Biden Administra- tion’s war on domestically available fossil fuels and mineral sources has been devastating. To wit: l The ability of American Indians and tribal governments to develop their abundant oil and gas resources has been severely hampered, depriving them of the revenue and profits to which they are entitled during a time of increasing worldwide energy prices, forcing American Indians—who are among the poorest Americans—to choose between food and fuel. l Indian nations with significant coal resources have some of the highest quality and cleanest-burning coal in the world, but the Biden Administration has sought to destroy the market for their coal by eliminating coal-fired electricity in the country and to prevent the transport of their coal for sale internationally. Meanwhile, the Biden Administration, at great public expense, artificially boosted the demand for electric vehicles, which, because of their remote locations, the absence of increased electricity demands for charging electric vehicles nearby, and the distances to be traveled, are not a choice for Indian communities. — 537 — Department of the Interior l A significant percentage of critical minerals needed by the United States is on Indian lands, but the Biden Administration has actively discouraged development of critical mineral mining projects on Indian lands rather than assisting in their advancement. l Despite Indian nations having primary responsibility for their lands and environment and responsibility for the safety of their communities, the Biden Administration is reversing efforts to put Indian nations in charge of environmental regulation on their own lands. Moreover, Biden Administration policies, including those of the DOI, have dis- proportionately impacted American Indians and Indian nations. l By its failure to secure the border, the Biden Administration has robbed Indian nations on or near the Mexican border of safe and secure communities while permitting them to be swamped by a tide of illegal drugs, particularly fentanyl. l When ending COVID protocols at Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) schools, Biden’s DOI failed to ensure an accurate accounting of students returning from school shutdowns, which presents a significant danger to the families that trust their children to that federal agency. l The BIE is not reporting student academic assessment data to ensure parents and the larger tribal communities know their children are learning and are receiving a quality education. The new Administration must take the following actions to fulfill the nation’s trust responsibilities to American Indians and Indian nations: l End the war on fossil fuels and domestically available minerals and facilitate their development on lands owned by Indians and Indian nations. l End federal mandates and subsidies of electric vehicles. l Restore the right of tribal governments to enforce environmental regulation on their lands. l Secure the nation’s border to protect the sovereignty and safety of tribal lands.

Introduction

Low 53.7%
Pages: 452-454

— 420 — Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise Subsequently, especially during the Obama Administration, EPA experienced massive growth as it was used to pursue far-reaching political goals to the point where its current activities and staffing levels far exceeded its congressional man- dates and purpose. This expansive status is entirely unnecessary: It has nothing to do with improving either the environment or public health. The EPA’s initial success was driven by clear mandates, a streamlined structure, recognition of the states’ prominent role, and built-in accountability. Fulfilling the agency’s mis- sion in a manner consistent with a limited-government approach proved to be extremely effective during the agency’s infancy. Back to Basics. EPA’s structure and mission should be greatly circumscribed to reflect the principles of cooperative federalism and limited government. This will require significant restructuring and streamlining of the agency to reflect the following: l State Leadership. EPA should build earnest relationships with state and local officials and assume a more supportive role by sharing resources and expertise, recognizing that the primary role in making choices about the environment belongs to the people who live in it. l Accountable Progress. Regulatory efforts should focus on addressing tangible environmental problems with practical, cost-beneficial, affordable solutions to clean up the air, water, and soil, and the results should be measured and tracked by simple metrics that are available to the public. l Streamlined Process. Duplicative, wasteful, or superfluous programs that do not tangibly support the agency’s mission should be eliminated, and a structured management program should be designed to assist state and local governments in protecting public health and the environment. l Healthy, Thriving Communities. EPA should consider and reduce as much as possible the economic costs of its actions on local communities to help them thrive and prosper. l Compliance Before Enforcement. EPA should foster cooperative relationships with the regulated community, especially small businesses, that encourage compliance over enforcement. l Transparent Science and Regulatory Analysis. EPA should make public and take comment on all scientific studies and analyses that support regulatory decision-making. — 421 — Environmental Protection Agency ADMINISTRATOR’S OFFICE AND REORGANIZATION RESPONSIBILITY The Office of the Administrator (AO) is intended to provide executive and logistical support for the EPA Administrator. Its stated purpose is to support EPA leadership and activities. To implement policies that are consistent with a conservative EPA, the agency will have to undergo a major reorganization. The Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy position within the Administrator’s office should be renamed the Deputy Chief of Staff for Regulatory Improvement. This position would oversee a reorganization effort that includes the following actions: l Returning the environmental justice function to the AO, eliminating the stand-alone Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights. l Returning the enforcement and compliance function to the media offices (air, water, land, and emergency management, etc.) and eliminating the stand-alone Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assistance, which has created a mismatch between standard-setting and implementation. l Using enforcement to ensure compliance, not to achieve extrastatutory objectives. l Developing a plan for relocating regional offices so that they are more accessible to the areas they serve and deliver cost savings to the American people. l Restructuring the Office of International and Tribal Affairs into the American Indian Environmental Office and returning the international liaison function to media offices where appropriate. l Eliminating the Office of Public Engagement and Environmental Education as a stand-alone entity and reabsorbing substantive elements into the Office of Public Affairs. l Relocating the Office of Children’s Health Protection and the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization from the AO and reabsorbing those functions within the media offices (air, water, land, and emergency management, etc.). l Reviewing the grants program to ensure that taxpayer funds go to organizations focused on tangible environmental improvements free from political affiliation.

Showing 3 of 5 policy matches

About These Correlations

Policy matches are calculated using semantic similarity between bill summaries and Project 2025 policy text. A score of 60% or higher indicates meaningful thematic overlap. This does not imply direct causation or intent, but highlights areas where legislation aligns with Project 2025 policy objectives.