The Trump administration is promoting multibillion-dollar funding packages to help states and disadvantaged communities secure clean drinking water as part of its promise to ‘Make America Healthy Again.’ There’s just one catch: The federal dollars were previously promised under a climate and infrastructure law passed by Congress during the Biden administration. Last month, the EPA announced a $1 billion commitment to address drinking water contaminated by PFAS, a class of synthetic compounds commonly referred to as ‘forever chemicals.’ Two days later, it announced $2.9 billion to help track down and replace lead pipes, which can leach lead — a potent neurotoxin that can cause irreversible cognitive, cardiovascular, and reproductive harm — into drinking water. ‘The Trump EPA is committed to Make America Healthy Again by ensuring clean air, land, and water — and by taking on PFAS,’ said EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin in a statement. In a separate statement, EPA Assistant Administrator Jess Kramer said that the ‘Trump EPA is committed to tackling lead exposure’ and that the funds ‘will help protect current and future generations across America by accelerating local efforts to find and replace toxic lead pipes.’ But both funding streams were appropriated well before Trump took office. Congress originally passed the bipartisan infrastructure law, also known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, or IIJA, in 2021, promising to deliver more than $50 billion over five years to revamp the nation’s water infrastructure — the largest investment of its kind since the passage of the 1972 Clean Water Act. Billions of dollars for lead pipe removal and PFAS contamination were tucked into the Biden-era law and scheduled to run out this year. Approximately $15 billion of those funds were set aside specifically for removing lead service lines, which deliver drinking water to homes and businesses. For the past five years, the EPA has been distributing these funds based on the share of lead lines in each state. The nearly $2.9 billion that the agency announced last month is the fifth and final of the annual disbursements required under the IIJA. Another $5 billion was set aside for PFAS cleanup. But this year’s funds for lead pipe removal fell short of what Congress originally pledged. Republican lawmakers repurposed $125 million from this year’s appropriation for wildfire prevention, and the Trump administration initially delayed releasing the $2.9 billion allocated for 2025. The EPA only released the funds after pressure from Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi and six other Illinois lawmakers, who alleged that the funds were being withheld from Democrat-led states. The Trump administration has also proposed cutting the EPA’s budget in half in 2027, including a 90 percent reduction in long-standing funding for lead pipe replacement. Federal rules require that most water utilities remove all lead pipes across the country by 2037. Reductions in funding could jeopardize their ability to meet those targets. Scott Berry, a senior advisor on policy and external affairs with the nonprofit US Water Alliance, said those funding cuts are occurring at a time when states are trying to clean up lead pipes. ‘As of now, there are no plans to increase the funding or even maintain IIJA levels, despite the fact that there is a massive need for investment,’ Berry said. He added that deferring water infrastructure spending could ultimately cost homeowners more, potentially increasing utility bills by an additional $1,000. In a statement, the EPA press office told Grist that the agency has taken ‘significant actions’ to protect American families and children and ‘is following the law and disbursing funds appropriated by Congress.’ The agency did not respond to questions about projected funding for drinking water infrastructure. Nationwide, the EPA estimates there are approximately 4 million lead service lines buried across the country that are still in use. Illinois leads the nation, with about 1.5 million lead pipes. More than 400,000 of the state’s lead service lines are in Chicago as a result of the city’s building codes, which required lead connections up until 1986. As a result, Illinois received about 10 percent of the federal dollars — the largest allocation among all 50 states. ‘[We] will work hard to secure our fair share, but there is no determination yet about how much Chicago will receive,’ according to a statement from Megan Vidis, spokesperson for the Chicago Department of Water Management. Due to the funding reductions approved by lawmakers this year, Illinois will receive approximately $15 million less than originally expected. ‘If the federal government is serious about getting the lead out and modernizing the nation’s aging water infrastructure, then it must sustain bipartisan infrastructure law investments and be committed to strengthening — not scaling back,’ said Chakena Sims, a senior policy advocate with the Natural Resources Defense Council. Editor’s note: The Natural Resources Defense Council is an advertiser with Grist. Advertisers have no role in Grist’s editorial decisions. This story was originally published by Grist with the headline Biden’s clean drinking water plan is being rebranded as MAHA on Jun 3, 2026.