MATCH Act of 2025

This bill makes it easier for states, local governments, and Tribes to start urgent watershed cleanup and protection after a flood, fire, or storm—before all the federal paperwork is signed. If they later enter into a formal agreement, the early costs they paid for approved emergency measures can count toward their required share of the project. The U.S. Department of Agriculture must, within 180 days, publish a list of which emergency actions qualify and set up a simple, state-level process to request additional actions for a specific disaster.

If a community acts early, it does so at its own risk—the federal government may decide not to enter into an agreement later, and it isn’t required to do so.

• Who is affected: State and local governments, and Indian Tribes, as project sponsors for emergency watershed work.
• What changes: Early, disaster-related cleanup and protection costs can later count toward the local share, if an agreement is reached; USDA will list eligible actions and create a state-level request process.
• When: USDA must set the list and process within 180 days of the law taking effect; early work done before an agreement is at the sponsor’s own risk, and no agreement is guaranteed.