On Tuesday, May 20, 2025, at 10:15 a.m., in room 1324 Longworth House Office Building, the Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Federal Lands will hold a legislative hearing on the following bill:
Discussion Draft of H.R. ___ (Rep. Hurd), “Fostering Opportunities to Restore Ecosystems through Sound Tribal Stewardship Act” or the “FORESTS Act.”
Mr. John Crockett, Deputy Chief for State, Private, and Tribal Forestry, U.S. Forest Service
Panel III (Outside Experts):
Cody Desautel, President, Intertribal Timber Council, Nespelem, Washington
Sara Clark, Co-Lead, The Stewardship Project, San Francisco, California
Tim Vredenburg, Director of Forest Management, Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians, Roseburg, Oregon
Austin Lowes, Chairman, Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan [Minority Witness]
The “Fostering Opportunities to Restore Ecosystems through Sound Tribal Stewardship
(FORESTS) Act” is comprehensive legislation that empowers cross-boundary forest
management on
Tribal forest lands and federal forest lands where Tribes have a
principally relevant tribal interest.
To authorize the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior
to enter into agreements with Indian Tribes for the performance of
certain forest management activities on Federal lands, including the
performance of forest land management activities, biochar demonstration
projects, and sawmill infrastructure demonstration projects, and for other
purposes.
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin
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.
Joint subcommittee hearing entitled “Mandates, Meddling, and Mismanagement: The IRA’s Threat to Energy and Medicine.”
Witnesses:
Ben Lieberman, Senior Fellow, Competitive Enterprise Institute
Dr. Erin Trish, Ph.D., Co-Director, USC Schaeffer Center, Associate Professor, Department of Pharmaceutical and Health Economics, USC Mann School of Pharmacy
Dr. William McBride, Ph.D., Chief Economist and Stephen J. Entin Fellow in Economics, Tax Foundation
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee
Economic Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory Affairs Subcommittee
Brief Description of Program and Recommended Reduction or Increase
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.
Operation of the National Park System
-900
The Budget would
transfer most properties to State-level management. Achieving a $900 million cut to operations would require eliminating funding for roughly 350 park sites, 75 percent of the total.
This reduction complements the Administration’s goals transferring most parks to State and tribal governments.
NPS National Recreation and
Preservation
-77
Bureau of Indian Affairs Programs that
Support Tribal Self-Governance and
Tribal Communities
-617
The Budget eliminates the Indian
Guaranteed Loan program for tribal business development. The Budget also terminates the Indian Land Consolidation
Program. In addition, the Budget also
reduces funding for programs that directly fund tribal operations such as roads, housing, and social
services.
Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Public
Safety and Justice
-107
The Budget cuts the tribal law enforcement program by 20 percent.
Bureau of Indian Education
Construction
-187
The Budget eliminates funding for construction of tribal schools.
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
Surveys, Investigations, and Research
programs
-564
USGS provides science information on natural hazards, ecosystems, water, energy and mineral
resources, and mapping of Earth’s features. The Budget eliminates programs that provide grants to
universities and crucial climate science initiatives and instead focuses on support for minerals and fossil fuel extraction.
Bureau of Land Management
Conservation Programs
-198
The Budget
proposes deep reductions. The Budget also reduces the Wildlife
and Aquatic Habitat Management program.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(USFWS) State, Tribal, and NGO
Conservation Grant Programs
-170
The Budget eliminates USFWS grant programs that fund conservation of species managed by States, Tribes,
and other nations.
Renewable Energy Programs
-80
The Budget proposes to eliminate support for renewable energy deployment.
USFWS Ecological Services
-37
USFWS’ Ecological Services program and NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service Office of
Protected Resources are jointly responsible for administering the Endangered Species Act and the
Marine Mammal Protection Act. The Budget consolidates these two programs into a single program
housed within DOI with significantly reduced funding.
Federal Wildland Fire Service
(consolidation of USDA and DOI
Wildland Fire Management programs
under a unified agency within DOI)
--
Federal wildfire risk mitigation and suppression responsibilities currently are split across five
agencies in two departments: the U.S. Forest Service in USDA and BIA, Bureau of Land
Management, USFWS, and NPS in DOI. The Budget
consolidates the Federal wildland fire responsibilities into a single new Federal Wildland Fire Service at
DOI, including transferring USDA’s current wildland fire management responsibilities.
House Appropriations Committee
Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee
Week after week, illegally fired federal workers have been at the Senate bringing attention to how DOGE is hurting Americans. Now we’re taking it to the House! Get to the Hart Senate Building atrium (120 Constitution Ave, NE) by 10 am on Tuesday, May 20. Lunch provided.
The purpose of this hearing is to discuss innovations in the agrichemical industry as it relates to
new technologies, including, but not limited to, artificial intelligence (AI).
Dr. Brian Lutz, Vice President of Agricultural Solutions, Corteva Agriscience LLC
Dr. Daniel Swale, Associate Professor, Emerging Pathogens Institute and Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of Florida
Dr. Boris Camiletti, Assistant Professor, Department of Crop Sciences, College of Agriculture, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
The House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology has jurisdiction over the scientific
and technological components of EPA’s pesticide regulatory framework. Specifically, the
Committee oversees:
The scientific integrity of EPA’s pesticide risk assessments and data evaluation processes.
Research and development of new pesticide technologies.
EPA’s use of scientific data in regulatory decisions, such as toxicology studies or environmental impact assessments.
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.
Amounts for DHS in the 2026 Budget complement amounts that the Administration has requested as
part of the reconciliation bill currently under consideration in the Congress. Reconciliation would
allocate more than $175 billion in additional multiyear budget authority to implement the
Administration’s priorities in the homeland security space of which at least an estimated $43.8 billion
would be allocated in 2026. Reconciliation funding in 2026 would enable DHS to fully implement
the President’s mass removal campaign, finish construction of the border wall on the Southwest
border, procure advanced border security technology, modernize the fleet and facilities of the Coast
Guard, and enhance Secret Service protective operations. Reconciliation would also provide funding
to bolster State and local capacity to enhance security around key events and facilities, and prepare
for upcoming special events like the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics.
Cuts, Reductions, and Consolidations
Program
$ Change
from 2025
Enacted
(in millions)
Description
Non-Disaster Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) Grant
Programs
-646
The Budget reduces FEMA grant programs. FEMA under the previous administration made equity a top priority for
emergency relief, which will end. The National Domestic Preparedness Consortium will be eliminated.
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure
Security Agency (CISA)
-491
The Budget refocuses CISA on Federal network defense and enhancing the
security and resilience of critical infrastructure. The Budget eliminates programs focused on misinformation and propaganda
as well as external engagement offices such as international affairs.
Shelter and Services Program
-650
The Budget proposes eliminating the Shelter and Services Program.
The Committee on Rules will meet Monday, May 19, 2025 at 4:00 PM ET in H-313, The Capitol on the following measures:
S.J. Res. 13 – Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency of the Department of the Treasury relating to the review of applications under the Bank Merger Act.
S.J. Res. 31 – Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency relating to ‘‘Review of Final Rule Reclassification of Major Sources as Area Sources Under Section 112 of the Clean Air Act’’.
Reconvened full committee markup of the budget reconciliation omnibus.
On Sunday, May 18th, 2025, at 10:00 PM in 210 Cannon House Office Building, the House Committee on the Budget will reconvene to provide for reconciliation pursuant to title II of the Concurrent Resolution on the Budget for Fiscal Year 2025, H. Con. Res. 14.
