The bill
Western South Dakota Water Supply Project Feasibility Study Act
HR. 7288, 119th Congress — read as touching Construction & Engineering.
Sponsored by
Rep. Johnson, Dusty [R-SD-At Large]
ID: J000301
Follow the money
The bill
HR. 7288, 119th Congress — read as touching Construction & Engineering.
The sponsor
Every bill has someone who introduced it. That name is where the paper trail starts.
The money
30 itemised contributions to this sponsor, pulled from FEC filings.
The alignment
This bill's text tracks the "Introduction" section, p. 569-571 of the Mandate for Leadership.
Track this bill's progress through the legislative process
Latest Action
Subcommittee Hearings Held
April 15, 2026
📍 Current Status
Next: The bill moves to the floor for full chamber debate and voting.
1. Introduction: A member of Congress introduces a bill in either the House or Senate.
2. Committee Review: The bill is sent to relevant committees for study, hearings, and revisions.
3. Floor Action: If approved by committee, the bill goes to the full chamber for debate and voting.
4. Other Chamber: If passed, the bill moves to the other chamber (House or Senate) for the same process.
5. Conference: If both chambers pass different versions, a conference committee reconciles the differences.
6. Presidential Action: The President can sign the bill into law, veto it, or take no action.
7. Became Law: If signed (or if Congress overrides a veto), the bill becomes law!
Another masterpiece of legislative theater, courtesy of the intellectually bankrupt inhabitants of Congress. Let's dissect this farce, shall we?
**Main Purpose & Objectives:** The Western South Dakota Water Supply Project Feasibility Study Act (HR 7288) is a $10 million exercise in bureaucratic navel-gazing, masquerading as a serious attempt to address water supply issues in western South Dakota. Its primary objective? To conduct a feasibility study on constructing a project to supply municipal, rural, and industrial water from the Missouri River to the Western Dakota Regional Water System. How quaint.
**Key Provisions & Changes to Existing Law:** The bill mandates the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study (because, clearly, they have nothing better to do) in coordination with the non-Federal project entity, aka the Western Dakota Regional Water System, Inc. – a nonprofit corporation that's probably salivating at the prospect of getting its hands on some sweet, sweet federal funding. The Secretary will then develop a feasibility report, which will undoubtedly be a thrilling read, and submit it to Congress. Oh, and there's a cost-sharing agreement, because who doesn't love a good game of financial musical chairs?
**Affected Parties & Stakeholders:** The usual suspects are involved: the Western Dakota Regional Water System, Inc., various federal, state, tribal, regional, and local authorities, and – of course – the taxpayers, who will be footing the bill for this $10 million boondoggle. One can only assume that the good people of western South Dakota are just thrilled to have their water supply issues used as a pretext for yet another example of congressional pork-barrel politics.
**Potential Impact & Implications:** The potential impact of this bill? Zilch. Zero. Nada. It's a feasibility study, folks! The ultimate exercise in bureaucratic busywork. The real implication here is that Congress is more interested in throwing money at problems than actually solving them. This bill is a symptom of a deeper disease: the chronic inability of our elected officials to address real issues, instead opting for token gestures and PR stunts.
In conclusion, HR 7288 is a masterclass in legislative obfuscation, designed to create the illusion of progress while accomplishing precisely nothing. It's a testament to the boundless creativity of politicians when it comes to wasting taxpayer money and pretending to care about the issues that matter. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have better things to do – like watching paint dry.
Rep. Johnson, Dusty [R-SD-At Large]
Congress 119 • 2024 Election Cycle
No PAC contributions found
No committee contributions found
Hub layout: Politicians in center, donors arranged by type in rings around them.
Showing 69 nodes and 30 connections (73 secondary connections hidden)
Total contributions: $88,830
Showing top 25 donors by contribution amount
Which industries are materially affected by specific provisions in this bill. 3 helped.
Section 3(a) mentions a study to determine the feasibility of constructing a project, which could lead to construction contracts and business for the industry, cited in subsection (a)(1)
The proposed rural water supply project may require the construction of pipelines or other energy infrastructure, as implied by Section 3(a)(2)(A)(i)
Section 3(b) mentions a cost-sharing agreement, which may involve financing and banking services for the non-Federal project entity
For each industry this bill affects, here's what the sponsor (Rep. Johnson, Dusty [R-SD-At Large])received from donors associated with that industry during the 2022–present cycles. Donations are not proof of intent — they are a record of who funds the people writing the law.
This bill shows semantic similarity to the following sections of the Project 2025 policy document.
— 536 — Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise 2. Engaging in real-time monitoring of operations. l Reduce bureaucratic inefficiencies by consolidating federal water working groups. l Implement actions identified in the Federal Action Plan for Improving Fore- casts of Water Availability,93 especially by adopting improvements related to: 1. Forecast Informed Reservoir Operations; and 2. Arial Snow Observation Systems. l Clarify the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act94 to ensure consistent application with other federal infrastructure loan programs under the Federal Credit Reform Act. This should be done to foster opportunities for locally led investment in water infrastructure. l Reinstate Presidential Memorandum on Promoting the Reliable Supply and Delivery of Water in the West.95 AMERICAN INDIANS AND U.S. TRUST RESPONSIBILITY The Biden Administration has breached its federal trust responsibilities to American Indians. This is unconscionable. Specifically, the Biden Administra- tion’s war on domestically available fossil fuels and mineral sources has been devastating. To wit: l The ability of American Indians and tribal governments to develop their abundant oil and gas resources has been severely hampered, depriving them of the revenue and profits to which they are entitled during a time of increasing worldwide energy prices, forcing American Indians—who are among the poorest Americans—to choose between food and fuel. l Indian nations with significant coal resources have some of the highest quality and cleanest-burning coal in the world, but the Biden Administration has sought to destroy the market for their coal by eliminating coal-fired electricity in the country and to prevent the transport of their coal for sale internationally. Meanwhile, the Biden Administration, at great public expense, artificially boosted the demand for electric vehicles, which, because of their remote locations, the absence of increased electricity demands for charging electric vehicles nearby, and the distances to be traveled, are not a choice for Indian communities.
— 536 — Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise 2. Engaging in real-time monitoring of operations. l Reduce bureaucratic inefficiencies by consolidating federal water working groups. l Implement actions identified in the Federal Action Plan for Improving Fore- casts of Water Availability,93 especially by adopting improvements related to: 1. Forecast Informed Reservoir Operations; and 2. Arial Snow Observation Systems. l Clarify the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act94 to ensure consistent application with other federal infrastructure loan programs under the Federal Credit Reform Act. This should be done to foster opportunities for locally led investment in water infrastructure. l Reinstate Presidential Memorandum on Promoting the Reliable Supply and Delivery of Water in the West.95 AMERICAN INDIANS AND U.S. TRUST RESPONSIBILITY The Biden Administration has breached its federal trust responsibilities to American Indians. This is unconscionable. Specifically, the Biden Administra- tion’s war on domestically available fossil fuels and mineral sources has been devastating. To wit: l The ability of American Indians and tribal governments to develop their abundant oil and gas resources has been severely hampered, depriving them of the revenue and profits to which they are entitled during a time of increasing worldwide energy prices, forcing American Indians—who are among the poorest Americans—to choose between food and fuel. l Indian nations with significant coal resources have some of the highest quality and cleanest-burning coal in the world, but the Biden Administration has sought to destroy the market for their coal by eliminating coal-fired electricity in the country and to prevent the transport of their coal for sale internationally. Meanwhile, the Biden Administration, at great public expense, artificially boosted the demand for electric vehicles, which, because of their remote locations, the absence of increased electricity demands for charging electric vehicles nearby, and the distances to be traveled, are not a choice for Indian communities. — 537 — Department of the Interior l A significant percentage of critical minerals needed by the United States is on Indian lands, but the Biden Administration has actively discouraged development of critical mineral mining projects on Indian lands rather than assisting in their advancement. l Despite Indian nations having primary responsibility for their lands and environment and responsibility for the safety of their communities, the Biden Administration is reversing efforts to put Indian nations in charge of environmental regulation on their own lands. Moreover, Biden Administration policies, including those of the DOI, have dis- proportionately impacted American Indians and Indian nations. l By its failure to secure the border, the Biden Administration has robbed Indian nations on or near the Mexican border of safe and secure communities while permitting them to be swamped by a tide of illegal drugs, particularly fentanyl. l When ending COVID protocols at Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) schools, Biden’s DOI failed to ensure an accurate accounting of students returning from school shutdowns, which presents a significant danger to the families that trust their children to that federal agency. l The BIE is not reporting student academic assessment data to ensure parents and the larger tribal communities know their children are learning and are receiving a quality education. The new Administration must take the following actions to fulfill the nation’s trust responsibilities to American Indians and Indian nations: l End the war on fossil fuels and domestically available minerals and facilitate their development on lands owned by Indians and Indian nations. l End federal mandates and subsidies of electric vehicles. l Restore the right of tribal governments to enforce environmental regulation on their lands. l Secure the nation’s border to protect the sovereignty and safety of tribal lands.
Policy matches are calculated using semantic similarity between bill summaries and Project 2025 policy text. A score of 60% or higher indicates meaningful thematic overlap. This does not imply direct causation or intent, but highlights areas where legislation aligns with Project 2025 policy objectives.