A bill is heading to President Donald Trump's desk to complete the White Mountain Apache Water Settlement, after the Senate bill, co-sponsored by Arizona senators John McCain and Jeff Flake, passed the House on Monday.
The 2010 settlement was established to advance a project to bring clean drinking water to the reservation. But a tribal proposal to use funds for cost overruns stalled the project in 2016.
Before passing the House Monday, Representative Tom O'Halleran said this bill provided a critical technical amendment to advance the project.
"The tribe needs this clarification in order to complete the construction of its rural water system, which is long overdue," O'Halleran said, "and a critical project for the community."
Flake and McCain praised their congressional colleagues for the bill's passage. McCain said in a statement that the federal government owes it to the tribe to follow through on its promise, and protect the tribe's at-risk water supply.