Bipartisanship Saves Bay Restoration Work from Budget Cuts

In a significant victory for environmental conservation, the House and Senate Appropriations Committees have approved fiscal year 2026 spending bills that maintain current funding levels for crucial Bay restoration work at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Interior Department. This decision, announced by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation on July 25, 2025, marks a major breakthrough in bipartisan efforts to protect the Bay and its surrounding waters.

Key Takeaways:

• The Senate Appropriations Committee approved a fiscal year 2026 spending bill with a vote of 26-2, maintaining current funding levels for Bay restoration work at EPA and Interior Department.
• The House panel approved the same amounts earlier in the week, ensuring that EPA's Chesapeake Bay Program and Interior grants for habitat restoration and historic preservation cleared the first hurdle of Congress's annual budgeting process without sustaining any cuts.
• The House committee bill would cut EPA's total budget by 23 percent, reduce funds for municipal sewage treatment plant upgrades by 26 percent, and lock in sweeping staff reductions at EPA.
• The White House had proposed zeroing out funding for the Fish and Wildlife Service-run Chesapeake WILD program and the National Park Service's Chesapeake Gateways and Watertrails.
• The House Appropriations Committee would continue funding vital USGS research and monitoring in the region at $17.6 million in fiscal 2026.
• The Senate panel did not specify a funding level for USGS's Bay work, but increased the overall budget for the USGS ecosystem research.

Statistics:

• $8 million (funding for the Fish and Wildlife Service-run Chesapeake WILD program)
• $3 million (funding for the National Park Service's Chesapeake Gateways and Watertrails)
• $17.6 million (funding for USGS research and monitoring in the region in fiscal 2026)
• 23% (proposed reduction in EPA's total budget)
• 26% (proposed reduction in funds for municipal sewage treatment plant upgrades)

Sources:

• Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF), "Bipartisanship Allows EPA and Interior Bay Restoration Work to Escape Budget Cuts in House and Senate Committee Bills," July 25, 2025
• CBF Senior Policy Director Keisha Sedlacek, statement, July 25, 2025
• Senate Appropriations Committee vote, July 24, 2025
• House Appropriations Committee bill, fiscal year 2026