The Great Lakes together hold one of the world’s largest supplies of fresh water, providing drinking water to roughly 40 million people and serving as a long‑standing symbol of U.S.–Canada interdependence.

At the same time, the Trump administration cut billions of dollars from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency, reductions that have already limited monitoring and research programs in the Great Lakes basin.

Despite those cuts, Congress showed bipartisan support for the region when the House voted to reauthorize the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, guaranteeing almost $500 million a year in federal funding through 2031.

Joel Brammeier, president and CEO of the Alliance for the Great Lakes, reminded listeners that “water does not respect political boundaries; it must be managed as a watershed, not as a national or state line.” Aaron Fisk, a professor at the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research at the University of Windsor, added that the current administration’s attitude toward science is “demoralizing” and threatens the United States’ role as a leader in environmental protection.

Researchers also warn that climate change is already reshaping the region’s water cycle. Mike Shriberg, director of the University of Michigan’s Water Center, described how recent summers have brought both severe droughts and intense rainstorms, altering water flows. Andrew Gronewold, a professor at the University of Michigan, said the growing demand from agriculture, data centres and a possible influx of new residents will put additional pressure on the lakes in the coming decades.

Because the Great Lakes cross an international border, protecting them requires continuous cooperation; without joint management, water quality, public health and the economies of both countries could suffer.