Federal funding freezes and staffing cuts are setting off alarms about the future of the Colorado River, a critical artery that supplies water to some 40 million people in 30 tribes and seven states across the U.S. West, as well as in Mexico.

The Trump administration's efforts to slash the federal budget and workforce coincide with a pivotal point in Colorado River history, as the region’s states negotiate the long-term operational guidelines for the 1,450-mile artery. The current interim rules, set in 2007, will expire at the end of 2026.

Policymakers warn that a loss of funds and Bureau of Reclamation employees could disrupt programs important for sustaining the drought-strained river — and complicate the negotiations that will steer its course for years to come.

“The level of uncertainty is greater than it's ever been, and the challenges are greater than they've ever been,” Tom Buschatzke, Arizona’s lead Colorado River negotiator, told The Hill.

The Trump administration's day-one pause on certain disbursements from the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, which earmarked $4 billion for water management in the region, is raising particular concern among stakeholders about the fate of key conservation projects that keep the Colorado River flowing.

Earlier this week, Senate Democrats from the region’s Lower Basin states — California, Nevada and Arizona — urged the Department of the Interior to end the freeze, arguing that the disappearance of these funds could endanger the river's water supply.

They expressed particular concern over the future of a conservation program aimed at increasing basin-wide efficiency and “the Colorado River system’s reservoirs from reaching dangerously low levels that threaten water deliveries and power production.”

Two of the same senators, California’s Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff, then sent another letter on Thursday to the Interior Department, demanding a halt to further workforce cuts to the Bureau of Reclamation — the federal agency that is party to Colorado River operations and negotiations.

© The Hill