Zinke’s Requests for Over $8 Million in Western Montana Water Infrastructure and Law Enforcement Projects Signed into Law

Washington, D.C. – Today, Western Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke announced that President Trump has signed into law H.R. 6938, the Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; and Interior and Environment Appropriations Act, 2026. This legislation includes more than $8 million in federal funding for five key Community Funding Projects across Montana, supporting essential water infrastructure improvements and bolstering law enforcement resources in Western Montana counties.

“These projects come directly from county commissioners and sheriffs who are on the front lines of their communities every day,” said Zinke. “They know what needs to be done to improve public safety and infrastructure, and these projects will make a real difference for the communities they serve. This is exactly the kind of funding federal dollars were designed for, investments that have an immediate, positive impact where people live and work.”

The funding will go directly to law enforcement agencies in Mineral, Lake, Beaverhead, Lincoln, Sanders, and Gallatin Counties, and water infrastructure projects in Missoula, Mineral, and Granite Counties.

This package also includes additional priorities Congressman Zinke secured as a senior member of both the Appropriations Committee and the Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee. These investments and policies address Montana’s critical needs, including public safety, water infrastructure, tribal education, the Murder and Missing Indigenous Women program, and protecting Second Amendment rights.

Zinke’s requested Western Montana Community Funding Projects signed into law:

• $1.75 million for the Philipsburg Water Transmission Line Upgrade
• $1.75 million for Missoula County Water Well Upgrades
• $1 million for the Alberton Water Storage Project
• $2.89 million for the Five-County Law Enforcement Resiliency Project supporting sheriffs in Mineral, Lake, Beaverhead, Lincoln, and Sanders Counties for bulk vehicle and equipment purchases
• $907,000 for the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office to expand Rapid DNA testing and add patrol SUVs

Other Montana priorities included in the bill:

• Zinke’s request for $2.2 million to reinstate the Native American Ironworker Training Program, opening high-paying skilled trades to Tribal members
• Zinke’s request for $2 million for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women programs
• $63 million increase for the DEA to combat fentanyl and cartels
• Support for the Milk River Project, vital for irrigation and water reliability in north-central Montana
• Bill language preserving Second Amendment protections by prohibiting funding for firearm import/export restrictions
• Full funding of the PILT program supporting county services in federal land areas
   

Read the full text of the bill here.
Read more about H.R. 6938 here.
Read more about Congressman Zinke’s Community Project Funding requests here.