Congresswoman McDonald Rivet Leads Great Lakes Restoration Funding Bill Through House

WASHINGTON— Tonight, Congresswoman Kristen McDonald Rivet (MI-08) celebrated leading the bipartisan American Water Stewardship Act through the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 378-32. This legislation, which Congresswoman McDonald Rivet and Congressman Pete Stauber (MN-08) passed through the U.S. House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure in December, reauthorizes funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) and several regional water quality programs nationwide.

“For almost two decades, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative has led the charge in preserving and restoring our country’s most precious natural resource and the lifeblood of Michigan’s economy – our Lakes,” said Congresswoman McDonald Rivet. “Representative Stauber and I put politics aside to protect them and support the hundreds of thousands of jobs that depend on them. We’re thrilled to see this commonsense step pass the House with over 370 votes, and we will keep pushing to make sure it gets signed into law.” 

The GLRI is the leading program to protect and restore the Great Lakes ecosystem, coordinating efforts across federal, state, and local partners. The program targets pollution and invasive species while restoring coastlines, habitats, and native species. Since its creation in 2010, the GLRI has provided more than $4.1 billion to fund over 8,100 projects throughout the Great Lakes region, directly supporting economic opportunity and protecting Michigan’s greatest natural resource.

The GLRI is currently set to expire at the end of Fiscal Year 2026. The American Water Stewardship Act would reauthorize GLRI funding through Fiscal Year 2031 and reauthorize other important water quality and ecosystem restoration initiatives nationwide.

Congresswoman McDonald Rivet is a member of the U.S. House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure, which has jurisdiction over all U.S. waterways, and a member of the bipartisan Great Lakes Task Force, which advocates for the economic and environmental well-being of the Great Lakes. In January 2025, the Congresswoman introduced the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) Act of 2025 to reauthorize the GLRI, alongside Republican and Democratic members from Great Lakes states.