The United States is entering a period in which the combination of increasing population, rising temperatures, and growing resource scarcity will seriously threaten human survival. In a warmer world, water basins will be highly coveted. This demand will require steadfast attention to water-resource management. Currently, interstate compacts are the primary mechanism for multistate basin management. Increasing scarcity places pressure on Congress to reevaluate and potentially revoke consent from these compacts. The alternative methods for allocating water are unstable at best. This Comment argues that Congress does not have the power unilaterally to revoke consent from an interstate compact. The interstate compact is one of the Founding Fathers' lasting mechanisms designed to protect the people from federal overreaching. Three of the nation's largest freshwater basins and their compacts provide illustrations of the interstate compact's resilience, adaptability, and importance in a changing world. Further, an examination of how the nation chooses to manage its most important resource provides valuable insight in to our future-when it is a question of survival, is it "We the People" or "We the Nation"?