Tell Congress You Won’t Accept Trump's Environmental Cuts
- Grace Clark
- 3 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Grace Clark
On November 13th, the US Federal Government reopened after a forty-three day shutdown. This record-breaking shutdown shows that Trump’s 2026 federal budget request is one of the most historically controversial, and for good reason. The budget plans to cut millions in spending aimed at studying, preserving, and restoring the unique and invaluable environment America is blessed with. Fortunately, by getting informed and speaking your mind, you can do your small part to help.
What’s Proposed
The proposed budget slashes environmental spending anywhere it can, including:
Eliminating America’s $275 million contribution to the Global Environmental Facility and Climate Investment Funds
Decreasing the Department of Energy by a net cut of $20,294 million, canceling the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act which invested in “climate change, clean energy and energy efficiency, clean transit” as well as decreasing funding for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, the Office of Science, Environmental Management, Advanced Research Project Agency Energy, the Office of Nuclear Energy, and the Office of Fossil Energy. The budget claims to reduce “funding for climate change and Green New Scam research.”
Decreasing the Environmental Protection Agency’s budget by $100 million, eliminating their environmental justice program
Eliminating “funding for low-priority climate monitoring satellites”
Cutting the Department of the Interior’s budget by a net loss of $2,268 million, “eliminating funding for the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration program, and reducing funding for recreation, vegetation and watershed management, and land management regulation.” As a part of Trump’s ““Immediate Expansion of American Timber Production,” he plans to eliminate the Forest and Rangeland Research program. Impacted departments include the Bureau of Reclamation and the Central Utah Project, whose habitat restoration efforts are specifically reduced, the Operation of the National Park System, NPS National Recreation and Preservation, who were financially wrecked during the shutdown, Bureau of Land Management Conservation Programs, Renewable Energy Programs, USFWS Ecological Services, and more.
Decreasing “funding for: climate; clean energy…and programs in low priority areas of science.”
How to Help
Americans deserve a budget that is proactive about their future, their children’s future, their grandchildren’s future. The climate issue is a human issue; our lives literally depend on it.
Luckily, your voice as a constituent is loudest the more local it gets! This is a great time to reach out to your state representatives and tell them you want a budget that reflects your values, and values you in turn. Address elements of the proposal that you find concerning and ways you fear these changes will harm your state, the more specific the better. Remember, politicians work for you. Most representatives are available via email and phone- unless we face another federal shutdown, so the time to act is now!
It’s also important to remember that these kinds of decisions are also being made in your town hall by your neighbors. Being an environmental advocate is crucial at every level, don’t be afraid to go local!
Citations
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) implementation resources. GFOA. (n.d.). https://www.gfoa.org/the-infrastructure-investment-and-jobs-act-iija-was
Russell, V. T. (2025, May 2). Fiscal Year 2026 Discretionary Budget Request. Washington, DC; EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT.