Brief Description of Program and Recommended Reduction or Increase
Corps of Engineers—Civil Works (Corps)
Cuts, Reductions, and Consolidations
Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF) Surplus
-1,071
The
HMTF, whose funding is subject to annual appropriations, finances operation and maintenance
projects for the Nation’s water channels. The Budget reduces
funding for HMTF.
Corps WIFIA program
-7
The Corps WIFIA program provides direct loans and loan guarantees for non-Federal dam safety
projects. The Budget eliminates this program.
Department of the Interior (DOI)
Cuts, Reductions, and Consolidations
Bureau of Reclamation and the Central
Utah Project
-609
The Budget provides $1.2 billion for the Bureau of Reclamation and the Central Utah Project, eliminating funds for habitat restoration.
House Appropriations Committee
Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Subcommittee
U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, will convene a full committee executive session on Wednesday, May 21, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. ET to consider the following legislation and nominations.
Nominations:
David Fink, of New Hampshire, to be Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration
David Fogel, of Connecticut, to be Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Director General of the United States and Foreign Commercial Service
Robert Gleason, of Pennsylvania, to be Director of the Amtrak Board of Directors
Pierre Gentin, of New York, to be General Counsel of the Department of Commerce
S. 190, North Pacific Research Board Enhancement Act (Sullivan & Murkowski), to add to the board one additional member to represent Alaska Natives
S. 318, ANCHOR Act (Padilla & Sullivan), to require the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop a plan to improve the cybersecurity and telecommunications capabilities of the U.S. Academic Research Fleet
S. 337, Household Goods Shipping Consumer Protection Act (Fischer & Duckworth), to fight freight fraud
S. 503, NET Act (Hickenlooper & Moran), to require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to report biennially on the impact of network equipment availability on the deployment of advanced telecommunications capabilities (i.e., broadband)
S. 1092, WIPPES Act (Merkley & Collins), to require disposable wipes be labeled with ‘Do Not Flush’ labeling
S. 1442, Combating Trafficking in Transportation Act (Blackburn & Klobuchar), to allow for eligibility for projects for the installation of human trafficking awareness signs at rest stops
S. 1523, Water Research Optimization Act of 2025 (Britt & Welch), to codify the National Water Center, based at the University of Alabama, as the primary center within the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration for research, development, and coordination of water related operational activities
S. 1626, National Landslide Preparedness Act Reauthorization Act of 2025 (Murkowski & Cantwell), to reauthorize the National Landslide Preparedness Act
Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
Lee Zeldin, Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Program Name
$ Change Enacted
from 2025
(in millions)
Brief Description of Program and Recommended Reduction or Increase
Increases
Drinking Water Programs
+9
The Budget provides $124 million in funding for the drinking water mission at EPA. The $9 million
increase from the 2025 enacted level is to equip EPA with funds to respond to drinking
water disasters.
Indian Reservation Drinking Water Program
+27
The Budget increases funding for Tribes to retain access to funding for drinking water and
wastewater infrastructure on their lands, with a total level of $31 million for the grant program.
Cuts, Reductions, and Consolidations
Clean and Drinking Water State
Revolving Loan Funds
-2,460
The Budget provides the
decreased funding level of $305 million total.
Categorical Grants
-1,006
The Budget includes the
elimination of 16 categorical grants, and maintains funding at 2025 enacted levels for Tribes.
Hazardous Substance Superfund
-254
The IIJA and
the Inflation Reduction Act helped finance the Superfund program.
Office of Research and Development
-235
The Budget puts an end to research grants, environmental justice work,
climate research, and modeling that influences regulations. The Budget provides $281 million.
Environmental Justice
-100
EPA’s environmental justice program is eliminated in line with the vision the President set forth in
Executive Order 14151, “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and
Preferencing,” and Executive Order 14173, “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity.”
Diesel Emissions Reduction Act
(DERA) Grants
-90
This program is eliminated.
Atmospheric Protection Program
-100
The Atmospheric Protection Program imposes climate change regulations. This
program is eliminated in the 2026 Budget.
On Wednesday, May 21, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. ET, in room HVC-210 of the U.S.
Capitol Visitor Center, the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform will hold a
business meeting to consider the following:
H.R. 580, the Unfunded Mandates Accountability and Transparency Act (UMATA) (Foxx, Cuellar, Golden, Hinson, Sessions)
H.R. 3279, the Renewing Efficiency in Government by Budgeting Act (REG Budgeting) (Fallon)
Act
H.R. 2409, the Guidance Clarity Act (Burlison, Golden, Davis (NC), Comer)
H.R. 2953, the All Economic Regulations are Transparent (ALERT) Act (Palmer)
H.R. 67, the Modernizing Retrospective Regulatory Review Act (Biggs, Crane)
H.R. 689, the Full Responsibility and Expedited Enforcement (FREE) Act (Maloy, Finstad, Moore, Valadao, Arrington, Owens, Pfluger, Ciscomani, Stauber, Fischbach, Newhouse, Collins, Moylan, Yakym, Fong, Gosar, Fulcher, Kennedy (UT))
H.R. 884, To prohibit individuals who are not citizens of the United States from voting in elections in the District of Columbia and to repeal the Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2022 (Pfluger, Mace, Ellzey, Donalds, Arrington, Hamadeh, Timmons, Schmidt, Boebert, Tenney, Guest)
H.R. 2096, Protecting Our Nation’s Capital Emergency Act (Garbarino, Stauber)
H.R. 3095, To direct the United States Postal Service to designate single, unique ZIP Codes for certain communities, and for other purposes.
H.R. 672, To establish new ZIP Codes for certain communities, and for other purposes.
H.R. 580, UNFUNDED MANDATES ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY ACT (UMATA)
This bill would amend the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) of 1995
(P.L. 104-4) to require agencies to prepare regulatory impact analyses—including
analysis of costs, benefits, alternatives, disproportionate impacts, and effects on jobs—for
major rules that mandate economic impacts of $100 million or more, present major
increases in costs or prices, or have significant adverse effects on competition,
employment, or markets. Agencies would be required to publish initial assessments in the
Federal Register and receive public comment when issuing notices of proposed
rulemaking. Final agency analyses would accompany notices of final rulemaking.
Agencies would generally be required to promulgate the analyzed alternative that
maximizes net benefits. Additionally, agencies would be required to increase early
stakeholder engagement in the rulemaking process and provide early notice that a major
rulemaking may be initiated. The bill also brings independent agencies under UMRA’s
requirements.
H.R. 3279, RENEWING EFFICIENCY IN GOVERNMENT BY BUDGETING ACT (REG BUDGETING) ACT
The bill builds on Executive Order 13771 by amending the Unfunded Mandates
Reform Act (UMRA) of 1995 (P.L. 104-4) with requirements that federal regulatory
agencies constrain unfunded new costs imposed by federal regulations. The bill requires
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to set an annual, government-wide budget
that restricts the amount of new, unfunded regulatory costs agencies can impose each
fiscal year. The annual budget must preclude increases in the total unfunded costs of all
federal regulations unless Congress approves the increase. The annual budget may
provide for net reductions in total regulatory costs. The bill also allows agencies to
rescind old rules to offset the costs of new rules to stay within yearly caps. Furthermore,
OMB is required to submit each annual budget to Congress and annually report on
compliance with the budget. If OMB fails to submit an annual budget at the start of a
fiscal year, the bill imposes a regulatory moratorium for that year until OMB complies.
H.R. 2409, GUIDANCE CLARITY ACT
Requires federal agencies to state prominently on the opening page of any
guidance document that: (1) agency guidance does not have the force and effect of law
and is not binding on the public; and (2) the document is intended only to provide clarity
to the public about existing legal requirements or agency policies.
H.R. 2953, ALL ECONOMIC REGULATIONS ARE TRANSPARENT (ALERT) ACT
Requires agencies to submit monthly updates to the Office of Information
Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) on their regulatory plans—including specific information on
expected costs (including of unfunded mandates), other economic effects such as jobs,
and a list of influential scientific information related to the rule (including peer review
plans)—which will be published online within thirty days, yielding monthly updates on
the complete federal regulatory agenda. The bill also prohibits agencies from
promulgating new rules for which online updates have not been available for at least six
months. Finally, OIRA must publish annually an assessment of all new agency rules and
agencies’ cost and benefit analyses of new rules.
The bill requires the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), acting through
the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), to issue guidance on how
agencies can use technology to more efficiently, cost-effectively, and accurately carry out
retrospective review of existing federal regulations that are obsolete, redundant, contain
typographic errors, or overlap with other such regulations. The bill also requires OIRA to
submit a report to Congress assessing whether Federal regulations are available in a
machine-readable format and requires each agency to submit a “Retrospective Review
Plan” that includes a strategy for how the agency will implement the OIRA guidance and
identifies agency regulations that are subject to statutory retrospective review or would
benefit from retrospective review.
H.R. 689, FULL RESPONSIBILITY AND EXPEDITED ENFORCEMENT (FREE) ACT
Streamlines federal permitting government-wide by expanding use of ‘permits-by-rule’ (PBR) rather than case-by-case application for and review of individual permit
applications. The FREE Act directs federal agencies to evaluate their permitting systems
and report to Congress within 240 days, identifying for which types of permits PBR can
replace current systems and thoroughly justifying any determinations that PBR cannot be
used. Agencies must then adopt PBR within 12 months for identified types of permits.
Under PBR, agencies must grant within 30 days all applications for coverage under a
permit-by-rule that meet objective permit standards set forth in the rule. Agencies can
still deny applications that do not meet requirements in the rule and may verify
compliance.
H.R. 884, TO PROHIBIT INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE NOT CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES FROM VOTING IN ELECTIONS IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Prohibits noncitizens from voting in D.C. local elections. Repeals the Local
Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act (D.C. Act 24-640; L24-0242).
H.R. 2096, PROTECTING OUR NATION’S CAPITAL EMERGENCY ACT OF 2023
H.R. 2096 amends the D.C. Government Comprehensive Merit Personnel Act of
1978 to restore two provisions recently removed by the Comprehensive Policing and
Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022 (D.C. Law 24-345), including Metro Police
Department (MPD) officer union bargaining in matters of officer discipline as well as the
timeline under which such discipline must be carried out for alleged wrongdoing.
H.R. 3095, TO DIRECT THE UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE TO DESIGNATE SINGLE, UNIQUE ZIP CODES FOR CERTAIN COMMUNITIES, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
The bill requires the U.S. Postal Service to designate unique ZIP Codes for
various communities.
H.R. 672, TO ESTABLISH NEW ZIP CODES FOR CERTAIN COMMUNITIES, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
The bill requires the U.S. Postal Service to designate unique ZIP Codes for
various communities.
On Wednesday, May 21, 2025, at 10:00 a.m., in room 1324 Longworth House Office Building, the Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs will hold a legislative hearing on the following bills:
H.R. 2130 (Rep. Johnson of SD), “Tribal Trust Land Homeownership Act of 2025”
The head of the EPA, Administrator Lee Zeldin is heading to Congress to defend his polluters-first agenda with budget cuts and plans to gut important protections for our air, water, health and climate.
We’re showing up to call him out — join us for a visibility event outside the Dirksen Senate Office Building 562.
The Committee on Rules will meet Wednesday, May 21, 2025 at 1:00 AM ET in H-313, The Capitol on the following emergency measure:
H.R. ____ – One Big Brutal (“Beautiful”) Bill Act, to provide for reconciliation pursuant to title II of the Concurrent Resolution on the Budget for Fiscal Year 2025, H. Con. Res. 14
Published in 2022, Stephen Markley’s novel The Deluge captured critics’ and readers’ imaginations with its depiction of climate chaos and resistance. “Markley’s dark depiction of the near future is filled with vivid descriptions of climate catastrophes, but his intricate network of complex characters balances precision with pathos, offering a kaleidoscopic view of humanity’s fraught relationship with its changing planet,” wrote Scientific American.
Join the Fossil Free California community for a conversation with Stephen Markley about climate futures, resistance in dark times, and the role of radical imagination. If you attended our February book talk with Manjula Martin and Kim Stanley Robinson, get ready for another thought-provoking and inspiring discussion!
If the ticket price causes a financial hardship please reach out to [email protected] for a complementary ticket.
Over the next few weeks, we’re watching the House closely as Republicans kick off voting on their budget reconciliation bill, which is chock-full of handouts to polluters and billionaires and is on track to be one of the most harmful, costly, and sweeping pieces of legislation in recent history.
On Tuesday May 20th at 7 pm EST we’re hosting a virtual phone bank to fight back against Republicans’ attempts to pass massive cuts to essential programs to provide handouts to billionaires and polluters. RSVP now to secure your spot! After you RSVP, we’ll follow up with the Zoom link you’ll use to join the phone bank.
Marco Rubio, Secretary of State, U.S. Department of State
Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
Program Name
$ Change
from 2025
Enacted
(in millions)
Brief Description of Program and Recommended Reduction or Increase Enacted
Increases
America First Opportunity (A1OF) Fund
+2,900
Support India and Jordan; repatriations; counter China and other near-peer rivals; and fund new activities.
Development Finance Corporation
+2,820
The Budget increases the U.S. International DFC. This investment includes $3 billion for a new revolving fund to allow
DFC to recycle any realized returns from its initial investments without further appropriation.
Cuts, Reductions, and Consolidations
Economic Support Fund, Development Assistance, Democracy Fund, and Assistance for Europe, Eurasia, and Central Asia
-8,326
The Budget eliminates funding for these programs and replaces them with the single A1OF and the DFC.
International Disaster Assistance,
Migration and Refugee Assistance, and
Emergency Refugee and Migration
Assistance (ERMA)—International
Humanitarian Assistance (IHA)
-3,207
The Budget reduces disaster assistance. The Budget provides $1.5 billion in ERMA for the President to use at his discretion and
consolidates accounts into a new $2.5 billion IHA account.
State and USAID Operations
-2,462
Consistent with Executive Order 14169, “Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid,”
the Budget reorganizes USAID into the Department of State.
International Narcotics Control & Law
Enforcement (INCLE)
-1,160
The majority of INCLE funds go to reforming criminal justice systems in foreign governments, rather
than to narcotics enforcement, which is primarily undertaken by: Drug Enforcement Administration
(DEA); Central Intelligence Agency; Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); Department of
Homeland Security (DHS); and Department of Defense (DOD) elements. The Budget eliminates
rule-of-law programs, while providing $125 million to fund programs that
support counter-drug, organized crime, and border security missions.
Peacekeeping Missions
-1,614
The Budget does not provide funding for United Nations (UN) and other peacekeeping
missions.
Assessed and Voluntary Contributions
to International Organizations
-1,716
The Budget pauses most assessed and all voluntary contributions to UN and other international
organizations, including for the UN Regular Budget, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization, and the World Health Organization. This is consistent with Executive Order 14199,
“Withdrawing the United States From and Ending Funding to Certain United Nations Organizations
and Reviewing United States Support to All International Organizations.” The President can choose to fund these international organizations out of the A1OF if he chooses.
Educational and Cultural Exchanges
-691
Transition Initiatives (TI)
-75
TI funds short-term assistance that aims to shape political outcomes in countries. The Budget eliminates the TI account.
Complex Crisis Fund
-55
The Complex Crisis Fund is a fund for nation-building projects. The
Budget eliminates this account and redirects crisis funding to the IHA and
ERMA accounts.
National Endowment for Democracy
(NED)
-315
The Budget eliminates funding
for NED.
Global Health Programs/Family
Planning
-6,233
The United States is the largest global contributor to programs that provide family planning. The U.S.
President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief funding is preserved for any current beneficiaries.
Food for Peace (Title II)
-1,619
The Food for Peace program spends $1.6 billion to ship food overseas.
Contribution to the Global
Environmental Facility and Climate
Investment Funds
-275
The Budget proposes to eliminate contributions to the Global Environment Facility and the Climate
Investment Funds.
Contributions to Multilateral
Development Banks (African
Development Bank, African
Development Fund)
-555
Consistent with Executive Order 14169, “Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid,”
the Budget proposes to eliminate contributions to the African Development Fund. The Budget also includes $3.2 billion over three years
for the U.S. Government contribution to the International Development Association.
Other Treasury International
Reductions
-86
The Budget proposes to eliminate several of the Department of the Treasury’s international
assistance programs, including the Debt Restructuring account, and contributions to the International
Fund for Agricultural Development and the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program.
Senate Appropriations Committee
State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Subcommittee
Over the next few weeks, we’re watching the House closely as Republicans kick off voting on their budget reconciliation bill, which is chock-full of handouts to polluters and billionaires and is on track to be one of the most harmful, costly, and sweeping pieces of legislation in recent history.