Hill Heat

Subcommittee hearing.

Witness:

• Edward Forst, Administrator, General Services Administration

The House Appropriations markup was April 22.

The House bill provides $9.74 billion for the General Services Administration’s Federal Buildings Fund, which is $49 million above the FY26 enacted level.

• $983 million for repairs and alterations.
• $166 million for construction.
• $193 million for the Asset Proceeds and Space Management Fund.

Administrative Provisions

• Provides that funds made available for activities of the Federal Buildings Fund may be transferred between appropriations with advance approval of the Committees on Appropriations of the House and the Senate.
• Requires funds proposed for developing courthouse construction requests to meet appropriate standards and the priorities of the Judicial Conference.
• Provides that no funds may be used to increase the amount of occupiable square feet, provide cleaning services, security enhancements, or any other service usually provided, to any agency which does not pay the assessed rent.
• Permits GSA to pay small claims (up to $250,000) made against the Federal Government.
• Requires the Administrator to ensure that the delineated area of procurement for all lease agreements is identical to the delineated area included in the prospectus unless prior notice is given to the committees of jurisdiction.
• Requires a spending plan for certain accounts and programs.

Subcommittee hearing.

Witness:

• Lee Zeldin, Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency

• Budget in brief

• Budget details

For the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or Agency), the President seeks $4.2 billion in base discretionary budget authority for FY 2027—a reduction of $4.6 billion (a 52.4 percent reduction) from the FY 2026 enacted level of $8.8 billion. EPA’s budget request would support a workforce of 12,500 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers.

EPA requests $1.7 million in new funding to administer the Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act of 2024. This program will issue “Good Samaritan” permits and investigative sampling permits to remediators of legacy hardrock mines, who will be exempt from liability under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act and the Clean Water Act.

EPA seeks the reconsideration of greenhouse gas (GHG) regulations and National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP). In FY 2027, EPA intends to address New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) actions under the Clean Air Act for sources of air pollutants in multiple categories including those in the power plant, oil, and natural gas sectors.

EPA plans to identify Brownfields and Superfund sites for qualifying AI projects and develop guidance for more efficient environmental reviews for certain reuse.

EPA seeks to reduce regulations on the auto industry and encourage domestic manufacturing. In FY 2027, EPA will reconsider and reevaluate three major on-road vehicle regulations.

The FY 2027 budget request proposes reductions in the following program areas:

Clean and Drinking Water State Revolving Loan Funds. EPA proposes a reduction of $2.5 billion. The reduction would return primary responsibility for funding local water infrastructure projects to states. The budget would provide $305 million to allow states to adjust to alternative funding sources.

Categorical Grants. EPA proposes a reduction of $1.1 billion. The proposed budget includes an approximately 91 percent decrease from FY 2026 enacted levels. This includes elimination of most categorical grants while maintaining funding for the Tribes and Underground Injection Control grants.

Office of Research and Development. EPA proposes a reduction of $235 million. The proposed budget would provide $281 million for statutorily required research in support of EPA’s core mission areas.

Federal Support for Air Quality Management. EPA proposes a reduction of $112.7 million. This program supports the development of state implementation plans and administers air grants.

Civil Enforcement. EPA proposes a reduction of $94.1 million. The proposed budget would provide $137 million for the Civil Enforcement Program which ensures compliance with environmental laws and regulations.

Criminal Enforcement. EPA proposes a reduction of $54.6 million. The proposed budget would provide $33.9 million for the Criminal Enforcement Program which enforces environmental laws investigating criminal conduct.

Research: Air and Energy. EPA proposes a reduction of $63.2 million. The proposed budget would include $32.0 million for this research program that provides assessments of air quality impacts.

Targeted Airshed Grants. EPA proposes a reduction of $31.6 million. The proposed budget would provide $36.2 million for the Targeted Airshed program.

Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Fund (WIFIA). EPA proposes a reduction of $64 million. The WIFIA program provides low-cost loans for large water and wastewater projects.

Join Beyond Plastics on Thursday, May 7 at 4 PM PT/ 7 PM ET for a free educational webinar to explore plastics’ impact on reproductive health. We’ll hear from Louie Psihoyos, the Academy Award-winning filmmaker and director of the new documentary film, The Plastic Detox, with Eric and Julie Isaac, one of the couples that is featured in the film that had tried to conceive for five years, Shanna Swan, Ph.D., one of the world’s leading environmental and reproductive epidemiologists and a professor of Environmental Medicine and Public Health at the Icahn School of Medicine, and Judith Enck, former US EPA regional administrator and founder and president of the nonprofit advocacy group, Beyond Plastics.

RSVP

Subcommittee hearing.

Witness:

• Tom Schultz, Chief, United States Forest Service

Proposed budget cuts USFS budget by 75%.

State, Private, & Tribal Forestry, which provides technical and financial assistance to nonfederal landowners, would be cut entirely.

National Forest System, which oversees the management of federal grasslands and forests, would be cut by 24% compared to last year’s funding. Budget seeks to eliminate the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program, while quadrupling the Forest Products line item—which funds the federal timber sale program, among other activities—from $39 million to $175 million.

Capital Improvement & Maintenance, which supports USFS infrastructure, would be cut by 28% compared to last year’s funding.

Land Acquisition, which funds the acquisition and improvement of National Forest System lands, would be increased from $2.5 million to $7 million.

Wildland Fire Management Account and Reserve Fund, which funds the personnel, equipment, and immediate post-fire risk mitigation necessary for wildfire suppression on federal lands, would be moved entirely to DOI.

Subcommittee markup of the Fiscal Year 2027 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Bill and the Fiscal Year 2027 Legislative Branch Bill.

On Wednesday, April 29, 2026, at 2:00 p.m., in room 1324 Longworth House Office Building, the Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries will hold a legislative hearing on the following bills:

• H.R. 7287 (Rep. Johnson of SD), “Lewis and Clark Regional Water System Expansion Feasibility Study Act” to increase water usage by the L&C RWS covering Minnesota-South Dakota-Iowa tri-state region
• H.R. 7331 (Rep. Johnson of SD), “Dakota Mainstem Water Supply Project Feasibility Study Act” to tap the Missouri River to feed the same region
• H.R. 7515 (Rep. Strickland), To direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey to the Nisqually Indian Tribe the Clear Creek Hatchery infrastructure
• H.R. 8259 (Rep. Bentz), “Reclamation Project Consultation Improvement Act of 2026” to weaken endangered-species protections in furtherance of water supply projects

Witnesses not yet announced.

The hearing, entitled “AI and the Grid: Meeting Growing Power Demand While Protecting Ratepayers,” will focus on the following bills:

• H.R. ____, [Load Forecasting Enhancement Act] (Rep. Balderson)
• H.R. ____, [Affordable Innovation for the Grid Act] (Rep. Harshbarger)
• H.R. ____, [Advanced Transmission Technology to Reduce Rates Act]
• H.R. ____, [Ratepayer Protection Act]
• H.R. 6336, Fair Allocation of Interstate Rates Act (Rep. Fedorchak)
• H.R. 6633, High-Capacity Grid Act (Rep. Fedorchack)
• H.R. 6529, Protecting Families from AI Data Center Energy Costs Act (Rep. Landsman)

Witnesses:

• Nick Myers, Chairman, Arizona Corporation Commission
• Tom Falcone, President, Large Public Power Council
• Nelson Peeler, Senior VP of Grid Strategy, Planning and Integration, Duke Energy
• Whitney Muse, President, Muse Energy

On Wednesday, April 29, 2026, at 10:00 a.m., in room 1324 Longworth House Office Building, the Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources, will hold an oversight hearing titled “Powering the 21st Century with American Copper.”

Hearing memo

Witnesses:

• Daniel Yergin, Vice Chairman, S&P Global, Washington, D.C.
• Adam Estelle, President and CEO, Copper Development Association, McLean, VA
• Debra Phillips, President and CEO, National Electrical Manufacturers Association, Arlington, VA
• Dr. Michele Bustamante, Staff Scientist, Natural Resources Defense Council, Washington, D.C. [Minority Witness]

Full committee markup. Originally scheduled for April 28.

Full committee hearing.

Department of the Interior FY2027 Proposed Budget

• summary

• detailed budget

• detailed NPS budget

Witness:

• Doug Burgum, Secretary, Department of the Interior

The budget, released Friday, calls for $15.9 billion for the department, a $2.3 billion decrease from the fiscal 2026 enacted level.

The budget agains calls for the unification of the Interior and Agriculture departments’ wildland firefighting activities under a single agency within the Interior Department.

The budget also calls for consolidating the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act permitting within one agency in the Interior Department.

The fiscal year 2027 budget in detail:

• Renewable Energy: cuts $45 million from the Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and eliminates renewable energy funding which includes onshore and offshore wind energy.
• Bureau of Land Management: cuts $480 million and slashes funding for Wildlife and Aquatic Habitat Management by $139 million, which includes funding for sage grouse and threatened and endangered species.
• US Fish and Wildlife (FWS): cuts $526 million, decreasing the National Wildlife Refuge System by 20 percent, eliminates grant programs managed by States, Tribes, and other nations, and moves NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service into FWS ($125 million transfer).
• National Park Service: cuts $1.06 billion
• U.S. Geological Survey (USGS): cuts $526 million, a 37 percent reduction that eliminates ecosystems, and dramatically cuts funding for core science and natural hazards.
• Bureau of Indian Affairs: cuts $378 million, including the elimination of the Indian Guaranteed Loan program and the Indian Land Consolidation program, and a 34 percent reduction in funds that support self-governance and directly fund tribal operations.
• Bureau of Indian Education: cuts $436 million, a 32 percent reduction; some eliminations include funding for Tribal Colleges and Universities, Replacement School Construction, and Early Child and Family Development.
• Wildland Fire: Transfers all U.S. Forest Service Wildland Fire Management functions to DOI.

Details of National Park Service: cuts $1.06 billion

• Operation of the National Park System: cuts $760 million or 26 percent. The skinny budget suggests they may change the funding formula to defund or drastically cut support for smaller or less visited park units.
• National Recreation and Preservation: cuts $86 million or 93 percent
• Historic Preservation Fund: cuts $170 million, or a 94 percent cut, and eliminates everything except funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
• Construction: cuts $40 million, or a 45 percent cut.

The budget also calls for a $10 billion mandatory fund to establish the Presidential Capital Stewardship Program within the National Park Service. The fund’s purpose would be “to coordinate, plan, and execute targeted, priority construction and beautification [sic] projects in and around Washington, D.C.”