Brief Description of Program and Recommended Reduction or Increase
Department of Commerce
Increases
Fair Trade and Trade Enforcement
+134
The Budget includes $134 million to strengthen trade enforcement. This includes an additional $122 million for the Bureau
of Industry and Security. These new funds would also increase antidumping and countervailing duty investigations.
Cuts, Reductions, and Consolidations
Economic Development Administration
(EDA) and Minority Business
Development Agency (MBDA)
-624
EDA programs are cut. MBDA is fully eliminated.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA)—Operations,
Research, and Grants
-1,311
The Budget terminates a variety of climate-related research, data, and grant programs.
NOAA—Procurement of Weather Satellites and Infrastructure
-209
The Budget rescopes NOAA’s Geostationary and Extended Observ by canceling contracts for instruments designed primarily
for climate measurements.
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
-325
Climate and environmental grants like NIST’s Circular Economy Program are eliminated.
International Trade Administration (ITA)—Global Markets
-145
The Budget refocuses ITA’s footprint to countering China and securing access to fossil-fuel and mineral resources.
Department of Justice (DOJ)
Cuts, Reductions, and Consolidations
Reduce
State and Local Grant Programs
-1,019
The Budget proposes to eliminate
nearly 40 DOJ grant programs. The Budget
eliminates programs such as Community
Based Approaches to Advancing Justice, as well as programs that focus on hate crimes. Further, the Budget cuts Violence Against Women Act funding.
Cut the FBI
-545
The Budget reflects a new focus on
counterintelligence and counterterrorism, while reducing non-law enforcement missions, including DEI programs and intelligence activities.
DEA International Capacity
-212
The Budget targets DEA’s foreign spending to Mexico, Central America,
South America, and China.
Refocus ATF Enforcement and
Regulatory Priorities
-468
The Budget cuts funding for ATF offices and background checks.
General Legal Activities
-193
The Budget focuses funding for General Legal Activities on
the Civil Division ($441 million), and the
Criminal Division ($220 million). The Budget reduces funding for the Civil Rights
Division and the Environment and Natural Resources Division.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Increases
Human Space Exploration
+647
The Budget allocates over $7 billion for lunar exploration and introduces $1 billion in new investments for
Mars-focused programs.
Cuts, Reductions, and Consolidations
Space Science
-2,265
In line with the Administration’s objectives of returning to the Moon before China and putting a man
on Mars, the Budget would reduce lower priority research and terminate unaffordable missions such as the Mars Sample Return mission that is grossly overbudget and whose goals would be achieved by
human missions to Mars. The mission is not scheduled to return samples until the 2030s.
Mission Support
-1,134
The Budget cuts the workforce, IT services, NASA Center
operations, facility maintenance, and construction and environmental compliance activities.
Earth Science
-1,161
The Budget eliminates funding for climate monitoring satellites and restructures the Landsat Next mission.
Legacy Human Exploration Systems
-879
The Budget phases out the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and
Orion capsule after three flights.
budget. The Budget funds a program to replace SLS and Orion flights to the Moon with commercial systems. The
Budget also proposes to terminate the Gateway, a small lunar space station in development with
international partners, which would have been used to support future SLS and Orion missions.
Space Technology
-531
The Budget reduces Space Technology by approximately half, including eliminating space
propulsion projects. The reductions also scale back or eliminate technology projects in favor of private sector research and development.
International Space Station
-508
The Budget reflects the transition to a commercial approach to human
activities in space. The Budget reduces the
space station’s crew size and onboard research, preparing for a decommissioning of the station
by 2030 and replacement by commercial space stations. Crew and cargo flights to the station would
be significantly reduced.
Aeronautics
-346
The Budget eliminates climate-focused green aviation spending.
Office of Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)
Engagement
-143
NASA will cut STEM programming and research.
National Science Foundation (NSF)
Cuts, Reductions, and Consolidations
General Research and Education
-3,479
The Budget cuts funding for: climate; clean energy; social, behavioral, and economic sciences;
and other programs. Funding for Artificial Intelligence and quantum information sciences research is maintained at
current levels.
Broadening Participation
-1,130
All
DEI-related programs at NSF are eliminated.
Agency Operations and Awards
Management
-93
This reduction to operations aligns with the
Agency’s reduced size.
On Thursday, July 24, 2025, at 10:00 AM ET, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW), will lead Committee Democrats in a spotlight forum on how the oil and gas industry is releasing methane into our air that is warming our planet, raising our cost of living, and choking our children—all while the Trump Administration makes it easier for these companies to pollute. The forum, titled “Mind Over Methane: The No-Brainer Climate, Economic, and Health Solution,” will highlight progress that many states, companies, and researchers are making on this issue despite federal rollbacks.
Speakers:
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ranking Member, Senate Environment and Public Works Committee
Dr. Arvind Ravikumar, Assistant Professor at the University of Texas at Austin, Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering; Co-Director of the Energy Emissions Monitoring and Data Laboratory
Courtney Smith, First Principal Deputy Executive Officer at the California Air Resources Board
Lori Ehrlich, Former Massachusetts State Representative; Former FEMA Region 1 Administrator
Dr. Sarav Arunachalam, Adjunct Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering; Research Professor and Deputy Director at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Institute for the Environment
Methane is a greenhouse gas more than 80 times as potent as carbon dioxide, and it is responsible for approximately one third of the rise in global temperatures. In the United States, the oil and gas sector is the largest industrial source of methane emissions: at every stage of fossil fuel production, this dangerous, poisonous, explosive gas is leaked or deliberately released into our atmosphere, where it pollutes our air, helps drive climate change-driven economic risks, and increases energy costs for families. Landfills are also a significant contributor of this pollution and are an emerging focus for state action.
Although much of the methane abatement work needed to address the climate and public health harms—particularly in the oil and gas sector—could be done at no net cost, the Trump Administration is considering rolling back methane mitigation rules for the fossil fuel industry, and the Department of Transportation has already canceled requirements to fix leaky natural gas pipelines. While a significant share of methane pollution comes from intentional releases, leaks alone waste over $1.5 billion worth of gas each year—losses that are passed on to consumers via higher energy bills.
Interior and Environment Bill (S. 2431) Highlights:
Department of the Interior: $15.1 billion for supporting management of National Parks, Refuges, and Forests, conservation and energy development on public lands and waters, and tribal trust responsibilities.
National Park Service: $3.3 billion to support our nation’s parks, preserve historic sites, and sustain staffing capacity to address visitor services and park management needs.
Indian Affairs (BIA and BIE): $3.9 billion, including support for important public safety and justice services, community and economic development, and probate programs. Contract support costs (CSC) and tribal lease payments are fully funded.
Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT): PILT is fully funded to provide communities in 49 states and in the territories compensation for lost tax revenues resulting from federal land ownership within their jurisdiction.
Wildland Fire Management: $6.4 billion is included for wildland fire management activities. Nearly $2.9 billion of this funding is made available through the wildfire suppression cap adjustment.
Environmental Protection Agency: $8.6 billion in grants and program funding, including $2.8 billion for the Clean Water and Drinking Water Revolving Funds.
U.S. Forest Service: $8.6 billion, which includes $10 million in funding to address Spruce Budworm mitigation activities. The bill also includes an increase of funding for Cooperative Fire Assistance and $6 million in funding to support the Northeastern States Research Cooperative.
Indian Health Services: $8.1 billion, which includes funding for staffing new facilities and health care delivery services. CSC and tribal lease payments are fully funded and maintains advanced appropriations.
Smithsonian Institution and the Holocaust Museum: $1.1 billion, including an increase in funding for the Holocaust Museum for expanding educational opportunities.
National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH): $207 million for each Endowment.
Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Bill (S. 2465) highlights:
Department of Transportation (DOT): $26.5 billion in discretionary budget authority.
Office of the Secretary: $1.1 billion, including $250 million for the BUILD grant program and $513.6 million for the Essential Air Service program.
Federal Aviation Administration: $22 billion, including $13.8 billion for Operations, $4 billion for Facilities and Equipment, $290 million for Research and Development, and $4 billion for Grants-in-Aid for Airports. This funding provides for an additional 2,500 new air traffic controllers and prioritizes investments to modernize outdated systems in our National Airspace.
Federal Highway Administration: $63.3 billion, including $350 million for a competitive Rural Bridge Repair and Rehabilitation program, $25 million for high priority Tribal transportation projects, and $10 million for the National Scenic Byways Program.
Federal Railroad Administration (FRA): $2.9 billion, including $2.4 billion for Amtrak, of which $1.6 billion is for the National Network, as well as $100 million is for the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements grant program. Additionally, $4.8 million is provided for FRA’s Close Call Reporting System, as well as funding for railroad trespass prevention and positive train control support.
Federal Transit Administration: $16.8 billion, including $1.9 billion for the Capital Investment Grants program, $1.1 billion for the bus and bus facilities program, and $55 million for the ferry program, which includes rural ferries.
Maritime Administration: $874 million, including $75 million for the Port Infrastructure Development Program and $30 million for Assistance to Small Shipyards Grants. The bill also includes a total of $400 million for the Maritime Security Program, Cable Security Fleet, and Tanker Security Program, which are critical to national security. Additionally, $143 million is provided for State Maritime Academies and more than $160 million is provided for the United States Merchant Marine Academy.
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD): $73.3 billion for rental assistance and self-sufficiency support for low-income working families, seniors, and the disabled; housing and services to homeless individuals; and support for economic and community development.
Office of Public and Indian Housing: $47.4 billion, including $37.4 billion for Tenant-based Rental Assistance, $8.4 billion for the Public Housing Fund, $211 million for self-sufficiency programs, and $1.4 billion for Native American/Native Hawaiian programs.
Office of Community Planning and Development: Nearly $11 billion, including $3.1 billion for the Community Development Block Grant program, $4.5 billion for Homeless Assistance Grants, $1.2 billion for the HOME Investment Partnerships program, $70 million for the Self-Help and Assisted Homeownership Opportunity Program, and $30 million for the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act recovery housing program.
Office of Housing: $19 billion, including $17.8 billion for Project-based Rental Assistance, $972 million for Housing for the Elderly, and $265 million for Housing for Persons with Disabilities.
Independent Agencies: $423.7 million, including $10 million for the Access Board, $40 million for the Federal Maritime Administration, $29.2 million for the Amtrak Inspector General, $145 million for the National Transportation Safety Board, $158 million for NeighborWorks, $40.8 million for the Surface Transportation Board, and $2 million for the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness.
Richard Fordyce, of Missouri, to be Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm Production and Conservation.
Richard Fordyce previously served in the Trump administration as the Administrator of the Farm Service Agency. His new role will oversee key agencies that directly serve farmers and ranchers, including the Farm Service Agency (FSA), the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and the Risk Management Agency (RMA).
Fordyce joined Osborn Barr Paramore as business growth director after serving in Trump’s FSA.
In 2013, Fordyce was named Director of the Missouri Department of Agriculture in December 2013 by Governor Jay Nixon. Other organizations that Fordyce has held leadership positions in include the National Biodiesel Board, the Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council, Agricultural Leaders of Tomorrow, University of Missouri Extension and the Northwest Missouri State Fair. He is also one of only three directors from Missouri on the United Soybean Board.
Fordyce and his wife, Renee, grow soybeans and corn as well as raise beef cattle on the family farm in Harrison County.
Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee
For communities around the country, environmental justice staff at the EPA and other federal agencies along with grantee organizations embody many of the most cherished and important values held in our society. They protect our health and our environment. They serve as public servants deeply concerned about the wellbeing of others, especially the most vulnerable.
As one of the bodies that helped launch the Environmental Justice Movement in the United States, the United Church of Christ (UCC) is committed to honoring these public servants in a time of uncertainty about the future of federal environmental justice programs.
In this service, we will honor those working on environmental justice with gratitude. We will gather together in strength, comfort, and solidarity as we renew our collective resilience as an ongoing movement.
Selected environmental justice staff will provide messages, along with environmental justice pioneers including:
Charles Lee, retired Senior Policy Advisor for Environmental Justice at EPA
Richard Moore, former Co-Chair of the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council
Dollie Burwell, leader of Warren County, North Carolina protests
Rev. Benjamin Chavis, Jr., former director of United Church of Christ Commission for Racial Justice
The service will be led by the Rev. Terry Yasuko Ogawa, Area Conference Minister, SNEUCC and former UCC Dr. Charles E. Cobb Environmental Justice Resident.
Prohibits funding in contravention of Trump's Executive Order 14162, including prohibiting funding to the Clean Technology Fund, Green Climate Fund, any compensation to countries for loss and damages attributed to climate change, and implementation of the Paris Agreement (SEC. 7061)
Mandates the United States advocate for "'all-of-the-above' energy policy" within multilateral development banks (SEC. 7029(i))
$292.6 million, $73 million below the fiscal year 2025 enacted level for Biodiversity.
$95 million, $23.75 million below the fiscal year 2025 enacted level for Wildlife Trafficking.
Brief Description of Program and Recommended Reduction or Increase
Increases
America First Opportunity Fund (A1OF)
+2,900
The Budget includes $2.9 billion for a new America First Opportunity (A1OF) Fund.
U.S. International Development Finance Corporation
+2,820
The Budget increases the DFC. This investment includes $3 billion for a new revolving fund.
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 combines accounts into the single A1OF.
International Disaster Assistance,
Migration and Refugee Assistance, and
Emergency Refugee and Migration
Assistance (ERMA)—International
Humanitarian Assistance (IHA)
-3,207
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 to fund disaster
relief when it fulfills the President’s foreign policy aims.
State and USAID Operations
-2,462
Consistent with Executive Order 14169, the Budget eliminates USAID.
International Narcotics Control & Law
Enforcement (INCLE)
-1,160
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.
Educational and Cultural Exchanges
-691
The Budget eliminates this program.
Transition Initiatives (TI)
-75
The Budget eliminates the TI account.
Complex Crisis Fund
-55
The
Budget eliminates this account.
National Endowment for Democracy
(NED)
-315
The Budget eliminates funding
for NED.
Global Health Programs/Family
Planning
-6,233
The Budget eliminates this program.
Food for Peace (Title II)
-1,619
The Budget eliminates this program.
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.
Other Treasury International
Reductions
-86
The Budget likewise 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.
Katherine Scarlett to be a Member of the Council on Environmental Quality
Jeffrey Hall to be an Assistant Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance
Scarlett has been serving as the CEQ chief of staff since the start of the current administration; previously, she worked at CEQ and served as chief of staff to the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council during President Trump’s first administration. Additionally, she served as senior Republican professional staff on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee under Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.).
On February 19, 2025, Scarlett issued guidance in the form of a memorandum to the heads of federal agencies and departments (2025 CEQ Memo), providing direction on how agencies should update their existing NEPA procedures for consistency with the NEPA amendments in the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA) (2023 NEPA Statute) and the policy priorities laid out in the various Executive Orders (EOs) from President Trump. She made clear that environmental justice and cumulative impacts don’t need to be considered.
Jeffrey Hall, previously a partner at oil-industry law firm Burke Law Group, is principal deputy assistant administrator in EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. At Burke, Hall represented Dr. Eithan Haim, an anti-trans surgeon who stole minor patient files and shared them with neo-Nazi activist Chris Rufo. The case against Haim was dropped by the DOJ days after Trump became president. Hall also represented the anti-trans organization Do No Harm. Hall also represented the State of Louisiana in arguments before the Fifth Court of Appeals in Texas v. EPA. The court ruled against Louisiana.
A March 12 memo from Hall lays out specific “initial guidance” on realigning the agency’s 2023 National Enforcement and Compliance Initiatives with the Trump Administration’s stated goals. The memo provides that “enforcement and compliance assurance actions shall not shut down any stage of energy production . . . or power generation absent an imminent and substantial threat to human health or an express statutory or regulatory requirement to the contrary.” Further, actions that “would unduly burden or significantly disrupt energy production or power generation,” among other consequences, must be approved by Mr. Hall.
The purpose of this hearing is to identify challenges to meeting increased electricity demand.
Witnesses:
Peter Huntsman, Chairman, CEO, President, Huntsman Corporation
Jeff Tench, Executive Vice President, North America and Asia Pacific, Vantage Data Centers
Rob Gramlich, President, Grid Strategies LLC
Huntsman Corporation is an American multinational manufacturer and marketer of chemical products for consumers and industrial customers.
Vantage Data Centers offers data center campuses for hyperscalers, cloud providers and large enterprises.
Grid Strategies LLC is a power sector consulting firm helping clients understand the opportunities and barriers to integrating clean energy into the electric grid.
U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, will convene a nominations hearing for nominees of the Department of Transportation at 10:00 AM EST on July 23, 2025.
Nominees:
Seval Oz, of California, to be the Assistant Secretary of Transportation for Research and Technology
Michael Rutherford, of Florida, to be the Assistant Secretary of Transportation for Multimodal Freight
Gregory Zerzan, of Texas, to be General Counsel of the Department of Transportation
Oz was Head of Global Strategic Partnerships for Google [X]’s Self-Driving Car Program from 2011 to 2014, where she supported business and marketing efforts for the initiative that later became Waymo. Oz recently served on the board of directors of MicroVision Inc., an advanced driver-assistance systems software company. She is Mehmet Oz’s sister.
In 2020, American PetroLog, a logistics, transportation, storage, blending and transloading services for the chemical industry company, hired Michael Rutherford as Senior Vice President to expand their rail to truck transloading services in Texas and New York City. Rutherford worked for more than ten years in transportation and logistics at CSX.
Greg Zerzan is an attorney and former acting assistant secretary of the U.S Treasury under President George W. Bush.
Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
