A Native American tribe with a powerful water claim had an ultimatum for the Trump administration: Release money to protect the Colorado River — or fight over the future of the most important river in the West.
Uncharacteristically, the Trump administration backed down.
The Interior Department released $105 million eight days later to repay the tribe for work it had done to line leaky canals and take other measures to protect a waterway that supports farms and cities in seven states.
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It was a victory for Arizona’s Gila River Indian Community — and a rare success in cities, farmers and tribes’ ongoing fight over drought funding from Democrats’ signature climate law, the Inflation Reduction Act.
