Climate science, policy, politics, and action
A full committee hearing to review Trump’s $9.4 billion rescission request.
Witness:
Subcommittee hearing.
Witnesses:
Full committee hearing.
Nominees:
Usha-Maria Turner is a longtime energy-industry lobbyist, most recently for Chesapeake Energy. She previously worked for OGE Energy and TXU Power.
On Tuesday, June 24, 2025, at 10:15 a.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:
Subcommittee markup has been postponed.
| 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. |
| Small Agency Eliminations | ||
| Cuts, Reductions, and Consolidations | ||
| -3,586 | The Budget includes the elimination of, or the elimination of Federal funding for, the following small agencies. Agencies in bold are in this appropriations bill. |
| The Budget eliminates six small regional commissions. The Budget continues funding for Appalachian Regional Commission’s (ARC) operations at $14 million. | |
Full committee markup, originally scheduled for June 12.
Homeland Security:
| Department of Homeland Security | ||
|---|---|---|
| Increases | ||
| Program | $ Change from 2025 Enacted (in millions) | Description |
| DHS | +43,800 | 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. |
| Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Screening | -247 | The Budget reduces Transportation Security Officer levels. |
A subcommittee hearing entitled “Locking in the DOGE Cuts: Ending Waste, Fraud, and Abuse for Good.”
Witnesses:
Full committee hearing entitled “Securing America’s Mineral Future: Unlocking the Economic Value Beneath Our Feet.” The purpose of this hearing is to highlight the role that American small businesses play in the rare earth minerals (REMs) and critical minerals industry.
Witnesses:
A subcommittee hearing entitled “America Builds: The Role of Innovation and Technology in a Safe and Efficient Rail System.”
Witnesses:
Full committee markup.
Continued from June 11 and June 12.
| Department of Agriculture (USDA) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Increases | ||
| Program | (millions of $) | Description |
| Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) | +15 | FSIS inspects meat, poultry, and egg product plants to ensure food safety nationwide. Several States have their own equivalent inspection program, and FSIS shares in the cost of these programs. Increases are needed to support increased production and demand for services. |
| Rental Assistance Grants | +74 | The Budget provides funding to renew the rental assistance grant contracts at $1.7 billion. This prevents the default of the $9 billion in USDA underwritten multifamily housing direct loans, that depend on the rental assistance grants for the debt service. |
| Cuts, Reductions, and Consolidations | ||
| Program | (millions of $) | Description |
| National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) | -602 | The Budget eliminates programming in NIFA, such as activities related to climate change, renewable energy, and promoting DEI in education that were prioritized under the Biden Administration. In addition, the Budget reduces funding for formula grants. Instead, the Budget focuses on the merit-based Agriculture and Food Research Initiative. The Budget protects funding to youth and K-12 programs such as 4-H clubs, tribal colleges, and universities. This investment would help prepare future generations of farmers. It also ensures HBCUs are amply funded. |
| Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and USDA Research Statistical Agencies | -159 | The Budget reduces funding for research sites across the Nation and reduces funding for research projects. The Budget also makes small reductions to the Economic Research Service and National Agricultural Statistics Service to stop climate research added by the Biden Administration while ensuring some analysis and data collection continues. |
| Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS)—Private Lands Conservation Operations | -754 | The Budget eliminates discretionary funding for conservation technical assistance. While funding has helped producers deploy conservation practices on their lands, many have been forced to participate in the program in order to comply with State environmental regulations such as California’s Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program, which regulates agricultural runoff. |
| NRCS Watershed Operations | -16 | The Budget eliminates funding to renovate locally owned dams in the NRCS Watershed Programs. These programs received an influx of funding through IIJA. Currently, there is over $100 million in unobligated balances between the two programs. |
| Rural Development Programs | -721 | Infrastructure loans are prioritized for aging rural water and wastewater systems, as well as technical assistance through the “Circuit Rider” program balanced with reductions in the grants. Other specialty water grants and earmarks are not funded except where the tax base cannot support loans, including maintaining funding for Native American Tribes. Community facility grants are eliminated, as the Congress has been earmarking nearly 100 percent of them. No new USDA funding is needed for broadband expansion. The Budget would also eliminate rural business programs, single family housing direct loans, self-help housing grants, telecommunications loans, and rural housing vouchers. Rural Development salaries and expenses are reduced commensurately. |
| Farm Service Agency (FSA) Salaries and Expenses: Farm Production and Conservation-Business Center (FPACBC) | -358 | The first Trump Administration placed the FSA, NRCS, and Risk Management Agency under one umbrella: FPAC-BC. The staff-heavy FSA struggles with hiring due in part because of labor market competition. The Budget reduces funding in order to reflect the Agency’s plans for efficiencies, which include improving online services. |
| National Forest System Management | -392 | The Budget reduces salaries and expenses by $342 million, and saves an additional $50 million by eliminating funding for the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration program, and reducing funding for recreation, vegetation and watershed management, and land management regulation. The Budget fully supports the Executive Order 14225, “Immediate Expansion of American Timber Production,” to improve forest management and increase domestic timber production. The requested funding level supports timber sales, hazardous fuels removal, mineral extraction, grazing, and wildlife habitat management. |
| Forest Service Operations | -391 | The Budget reduces funding for expenses including salaries and facility leases to streamline the Agency’s management structure and reduce their real property footprint. |
| State, Local, Tribal, and NGO Conservation Programs | -303 | The Budget reduces grant programs that subsidize management of State and privately-owned forests. While the Budget provides reduced support for Federal wildland fire management activities, these partners should be encouraged to fund their own community preparedness and risk mitigation activities. |
| Forest and Rangeland Research (Except Forest Inventory and Analysis) | -300 | The President has pledged to manage national forests for their intended purpose of producing timber. The Budget reduces funding for the Forest and Rangeland Research program because it is out of step with timber production, but maintains funding for Forest Inventory and Analysis, a longstanding census of forest resources and conditions. |
| Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) | -425 | The Budget ends CSFP and replaces it with MAHA food boxes. The MAHA food boxes provide food directly to seniors. Unlike the current approach using food banks, which provide those in need with shelf-stable foods, MAHA boxes would be filled with commodities sourced from domestic farmers and given directly to American households. |
| McGovern-Dole Food for Education Program | -240 | The McGovern-Dole Food for Education program buys agricultural commodities from U.S. farmers and donates them in the form of foreign aid. Only a small portion of the program’s funding goes toward purchasing U.S. commodities, given the high transportation costs and large portion of funding provided for technical assistance. While these donated commodities totaled only $37 million in 2023 (0.01 percent of all U.S. crop sales), they undercut commodity prices in markets abroad. The elimination of this program is consistent with the elimination of other in-kind international food donation programs in the Budget, including Food for Progress and Food for Peace Title II Grants. |