The president’s request includes deep cuts to federal conservation programs
In the White House’s initial budget request for Fiscal Year 2026—the so-called “skinny budget”—the administration proposed significant cuts to existing federal conservation programs across the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture.
Programs of relevance included in the initial request include:
- U.S. National Parks operations (-$900 million)
- U.S. Geological Survey surveys, investigations and research (-$564 million)
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Ecological Services (-$37 million)
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service state, Tribal and NGO grants (-$170 million)
- U.S. Forest Service Forest and Rangeland Research (except for Forest Inventory and Analysis) (-$300 million)
- Natural Resources Conservation Service private lands conservation operations (-$754 million)
- Bureau of Land Management conservation programs (-$198 million)
The administration justifies many of these proposed reductions by suggesting that federal authority in natural resource management should be transferred to state and local authorities. Additionally, they indicate that many of these programs do not align with current priorities to advance mineral extraction and energy production.
What wildlife professionals need to know
Ultimately, the administration’s budget request is just that: a request to Congress that holds the authority to appropriate federal funds. This means that now is the time for constituents to engage with their members of Congress and speak to the implications of devaluing federal conservation programs to such a severe degree.
TWS will monitor for more detailed budget proposals in the coming weeks and provide guidance to members on next steps for engagement.
Earlier this year, TWS chapters, sections and working groups identified conservation funding as the most important policy priority for The Wildlife Society. TWS is committed to championing diverse, sustainable funding sources for wildlife conservation. Visit the Conservation Affairs Network Policy Toolkit to learn more about using your voice to engage with the U.S. congressional appropriations process.
