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The Great Salt Lake has another surge of federal dollars coming its way.
The House is working to advance the federal government’s annual spending bills, and the Utah delegation is making sure to include money for the shrinking lake wherever they can. The latest cash splash: $4.5 million in the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill thanks to Rep. Blake Moore.
The money will specifically go toward the Office of the Great Salt Lake Commissioner, which was established by the state legislature in 2023. The money will be distributed to the Great Salt Lake Stansbury Bay Improvement project to modify current manmade barriers to improve natural water flow.
“That money will be used to improve the infrastructure that currently prevents more natural runoff, and it’s just a part of a larger effort that state officials have been able to identify where you can put resources to help improve runoff,” Moore told me in an interview this week.
The $4.5 million provision in the appropriations bill is part of the White House budget request from earlier this year asking Congress for $1 billion to go toward recovering the Great Salt Lake. I scooped that budget request back in April.
“The White House shining a light on it, obviously it helps a lot,” Moore said. But the work he and other Utah members have done in Congress has also been a major push. “The Natural Resources Committee knows how big of a deal this is. It’s had a consistent push from me and Celeste (Maloy), as we’ve been harping on this to that committee.”
Rep. Celeste Maloy already secured another $10 million for the Great Salt Lake in the appropriations bill for the Interior Department, which my colleague Brigham Tomco previously reported.
Maloy is on the House Appropriations Committee and Moore is on the House Budget Committee — so they are perfectly positioned to advocate for the money in Congress.
Which got me thinking: There are 431 members in the House and 98 senators who are not from Utah. How do you sell them on a $1 billion price tag? That’s how much President Donald Trump said he wanted to secure to help the lake.
“I mean a billion dollars is going to obviously be very difficult to get, and highlighting the need for a lake in Utah to somebody that’s in Tennessee, it’s not going to make a ton of sense,” Moore said. “But there is a general understanding that each of us know our own issues, and the appropriations process is designed to help members of Congress deal with their own individual local issues.”
But but but: It’ll take time to get to that full $1 billion. Maloy has previously said that it could take years to get to that full number, and Moore told me he agreed with that assessment.
But the work they are putting in right now is a good start, Moore says, and they’ll keep working with state officials and members of Congress to make sure the dollars are being put to good use.
“We still want to be fiscally responsible about making sure that the money that we do have is going in the right places, and we’re not just throwing around numbers back here,” Moore said.
Stories Driving the Week
- SAVE the drama: The SAVE America Act has long been Trump’s top wish list item, with him repeatedly telling Republicans in Congress they should make it their No. 1 priority. And while Republican lawmakers largely support the provisions in the SAVE America Act, some are beginning to acknowledge the bill doesn’t have a path forward in the current political landscape.
- Art of the deal: White House officials sent the two-page document to members of Congress on Thursday, marking the first time lawmakers have physically seen the deal since it was initially signed over the weekend. But Republicans say they have questions for the administration to ensure Trump’s original goal to thwart Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
- Trump turns to Utah: In a social media blast on Wednesday night, Trump endorsed Reps. Blake Moore, Celeste Maloy and Mike Kennedy in their respective primaries next week. The support is likely to boost the lawmakers, some of whom face primary challengers, as the president enjoys a near-perfect endorsement record so far in the 2026 midterm primary elections.
Trump unleashes chaos with last-minute nomination pull
In case you haven’t been closely dialed-in to Senate procedure this week, you may have missed — or been deeply confused — about what happened with President Donald Trump’s pick to be the next director of national intelligence.
And you’re not the only one.
Quick recap: Trump officially nominated Jay Clayton to take over as DNI to replace Tulsi Gabbard, who announced she would resign last month. But the Clayton nomination only came after Trump said he would make Bill Pulte, a close ally of his, the acting director in the interim.
The Pulte appointment made Democrats furious. As I said, Pulte is a close ally of the president but he has no intelligence experience — prompting concerns he would weaponize the position to go after Trump’s opponents.
So then Democrats said they wouldn’t vote to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, until Pulte was removed. FISA then expired last Friday.
OK, that should catch you up to Wednesday when Trump abruptly told Senate Republicans to cancel Clayton’s nomination hearing. And now, no one really knows what the status is on his nomination.
The White House didn’t formally notify the Senate to withdraw his nomination. But it amounted to Republican leaders having to delay his confirmation because Clayton didn’t appear before lawmakers at the direction of Trump.
“That’s probably a better question for the White House. Obviously, (Clayton) was asked not to appear yesterday, so we’ll find out what comes next,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters on Thursday. “I don’t know, I’ve never been asked to slow a nomination down before.”
So why is this a problem? Clayton’s nomination is really the one obstacle standing in the way of reauthorizing FISA, which is a critical surveillance tool used to help track potential terrorist threats from foreign actors. With the program now dark, especially during the World Cup, some officials are worried about an intelligence gap.
But Trump has made it clear he likes Pulte and wants him in the job, at least for a time. And Republicans up here seem to acknowledge that — but can’t understand why he would delay putting Clayton, who would get some bipartisan support, in the position.
Quick Hits
From the Hill: Mike Lee’s stalled election bill divides Republicans behind closed doors. … Defamation claims and AI ads — inside the messy GOP race for Utah’s 2nd District. … GOP senator demands answers after MLB warns players against writing Bible verses on caps.
From the White House: A parent’s guide to Trump Accounts. … These are the 7 things you should know about Trump’s visit to the G7 Summit. … FBI says it thwarted plan to attack UFC fight at White House.
From the courts: Supreme Court rules marijuana users are legal gun owners. … Idaho AG responds after federal judge blocks Idaho law criminalizing transgender bathroom use.
