GOP-led Funding Bill Includes Drastic Cuts to Programs Important to Birds and People

WASHINGTON – This week, the US House Appropriations Committee advanced a bill that would slash the budget of critically important programs and agencies, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior, and the Bureau of Land Management. The spending bill also includes anti-environmental and anti-wildlife riders, including one that would prohibit listing species like the Greater Sage-Grouse as endangered, even if science indicates the need.  

“These proposals are beyond extreme and ignore the reality of what Americans need and value,” said Felice Stadler, vice president of government affairs. “Policy riders that ignore science for political purposes, and draconian cuts to key environmental agencies are harmful to birds, people, and the natural resources we all depend on. Many of the cuts in this budget proposal would further decimate programs that are already woefully understaffed and underfunded. We cannot begin to address the climate, public health, and biodiversity threats we are facing with the budget passed by the House Appropriations Committee. We strongly urge Congress to reject this package as it moves forward.”  

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MEDIA CONTACT: Matt Smelser, matt.smelser@audubon.org

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The National Audubon Society protects birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow. Audubon works throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, education, and on-the-ground conservation. State programs, nature centers, chapters, and partners give Audubon an unparalleled wingspan that reaches millions of people each year to inform, inspire, and unite diverse communities in conservation action. A nonprofit conservation organization since 1905, Audubon believes in a world in which people and wildlife thrive. Learn more at www.audubon.org and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @audubonsociety.