Yesterday, House Republicans released the draft fiscal year 2026 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies funding bill, which will be considered in subcommittee today – Tuesday, July 15, 2025. Instead of lowering the cost of living and confronting the climate crisis, House Representatives are raising utility bills and energy prices. The legislation takes an aggressive anti-environment, pro-pollution stance with crippling cuts to the Environental Prorection Agency (EPA) and policy provisions that endanger public health and fail to confront the climate crisis. The bill also slashes funding for National Parks and arts programs.
The fiscal year 2026 Interiior, Environment and Related Agencies bill includes $38 billion, which is $2.9 billion below the fiscal year 2025 enacted level and $9.2 billion above the budget request. The bill also provides $2.9 billion for the Wildfire Suppression Operations Reserve Fund.
The legislation: Raises utiliby bills by shifting costs onto state and local governments and making elecricity more expensive through funding cuts and extreme policies that would cripple renewable energy; worsens the climate crisis by defunding critical Environmental Proection Agency (EPA) work; slashes funding for national parks; Guts resources for museums, arts, and culture; favors polluters over public health; promotes environmental discrimination against rural and poor communities by making it more difficult for hardworking people to deal with the rising cots assoiated with climate change; and exploitds public lands and accelerates ecosysem decline by allowing harmful and dirty mining activities and by removing Endangered Species Act protections for numerous species.
“With the release of the FY 26 Interior bill, it’s clear House Republicans are once again pushing an agenda that acclerates the climate crisis, upends our National Parks system, and leaves local communities to fend for themselves — all while undermining the power of the Appropriations Committee and of Congress,” Interior Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member Chellie Pingree (D-ME) said. “We are still living with the fallout of last year’s failure to negotiate a full-year funding bill. Instead of correcting course, the bill released yesterday delivers more of the same: it cuts water infrastructure funding, slashes EPA programs and wipes out environmental justice and climate initiatives. It even blocks the EPA from completing its risk assessment on PFAS in sewage sludge — a forever chemical crisis Maine knows all too well.”
“On top of the environment attacks, Republicans are taking aim at the arts and cultural institutions that enrich communities and drive local economies. Cutting the NEA, NEH and Smithsonian silences artistic expression and undermines the jobs, education programs, and cultural spaces that strengthen towns and cities across the country. Any arguments that these irresponsible cuts are somehow fiscally responsible ring hollow in the wake of Republicans adding $3.4 trillion to the national deficit thanks to their disastrous so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill.” I urge my Republican colleagues to come to the table and support the essential work of this subcommittee: protecting public health, conserving our lands and waters, investing in resilience and ensuring that every community — from rural Maine to urban centers — has access to a healthy environment and a vibrant cultural life.”
“President Trump promised to address the cost-of-living crisis, but instead he and the House Republicans are making it worse. House Republicans’ 2026 Interior funding bill raises utility bills and energy prices to benefit billionaires and big corporations,” Appropriations Committee Ranking Member, Rosa DeLauro (D_CT-03) said. “Republicans are threatening the air we breathe and the water we drink and taking steps that damage our public lands, promote dirty energy and hinder our ability to confront the climate crisis.,,,,:”