Trump’s deregulation and FEMA cuts put Mississippi River and others at extreme risk, report warns

The Mississippi River tops this year’s list of America’s most endangered waterways, as environmental groups warn that President Trump’s sweeping deregulation and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) budget cuts are accelerating threats to rivers across the country.

Nina Lakhani reports for The Guardian.

In short:

• The Mississippi River, which provides the primary source of drinking water to dozens of municipalities and supports nearly 900 species, is now the most endangered U.S. river due to worsening pollution, drought, and government deregulation.
• Trump’s proposed dismantling of FEMA, which manages disaster response and flood mitigation, endangers rivers from Louisiana to Appalachia, including areas still recovering from Hurricane Helene’s catastrophic flooding.
• Data centers and fossil fuel expansion, heavily incentivized under the Trump administration, are further straining rivers in Virginia and West Virginia, where water shortages and pollution violations are already threatening ecosystems and public health.

Key quote:

“Our water wealth is one of our greatest assets as a nation. But pollution and extreme weather are putting our rivers, clean water, and public safety at risk. When our rivers are sick, our own health and prosperity suffers.”

— Tom Kiernan, president and CEO of American Rivers

Why this matters:

Rivers are lifelines for drinking water, agriculture, biodiversity, and cultural heritage, yet many are in crisis. The Mississippi River, often called the nation’s backbone, faces compounding threats from climate change and deregulation. FEMA, now facing severe cuts, has long played a key role in flood mitigation and rebuilding infrastructure after climate disasters. Without this support, communities face growing risks from flooding, contamination, and habitat loss. Simultaneously, the unchecked growth of water-intensive industries like data centers and fossil fuel operations is drying up aquifers and further polluting waterways. Ignoring the health of these rivers risks a cascading impact on ecosystems and the millions of people who rely on them.

Related: Trump considers scaling back federal disaster aid to states