Ranking Member Pingree Statement at the Subcommittee Markup of the 2025 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Funding Bill

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-ME-01), Ranking Member of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee, delivered the following remarks at the Subcommittee's markup of the fiscal year 2025 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies funding bill:

Thank you, Chairman Cole, for yielding and thank you Chairman Simpson for your work on the subcommittee this year.

Climate change is a clear and present danger, and experts agree that we must take bold action to avoid major, irreversible catastrophe. Just last week, one-fifth of all Americans were under extreme heat advisories, with record-breaking temperatures felt across my home state of Maine.

It seems like every year when we meet to mark up this bill there’s a new record broken for extreme heat. So, I am greatly disappointed and frustrated by the bill before us that completely disregards the reality of a warming planet and ignores the need for us to do more, not less.

As the Fifth National Climate Assessment confirms, “the effects of human-caused climate change are already far-reaching and worsening across every region of the United States.”

With that understanding, cutting funding for the Environmental Protection Agency by $1.8 billion, or 20 percent, is irresponsible and severely impacts needed investments in environmental justice, enforcement, and climate change. If we are going to preserve the health of our environment and our economic well-being, we need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase our efforts to respond to and mitigate against harmful climate impacts.

The bill also slashes funding for land management agencies. The National Park Service alone is cut by $210 million. This cut will mean fewer park rangers to protect and preserve the parks’ natural and cultural resources and a negative impact on the visitor experience.

Funding for cultural institutions, such as the Smithsonian and National Gallery of Art, is also significantly reduced. The arts have incredible value as a positive tool for economic development, education, and community building and I will strenuously oppose these cuts in the final spending agreement.

There are areas of bipartisanship, though, and I want to commend Chairman Simpson’s work on wildland fire. The bill includes authorizing language necessary for the administration to carry out its permanent pay reforms for Federal wildland firefighters and it provides an additional $330 million to support the effort. This is something we agree on, and I am pleased the bill addresses this important issue.

I am also proud of our work to address treaty and trust obligations on a bipartisan basis. I want to acknowledge Chairman Cole for adjusting the Interior allocation to accommodate the $739 million increase required as a result of the recent the Supreme Court decision on contract support costs. These costs will continue to rise, and I hope that we can work together to make these funds mandatory.

Unfortunately, once again, House Republicans have loaded up the bill with widely unpopular policy riders. This year, they’ve included a whopping 83 poison pill riders that cripple environmental protection, undermine climate change policies, and add to the national deficit.

The riders in the bill give an open invitation to exploitative oil, gas, and mineral leasing by blocking rules that protect our public lands and resources, dictating the timing of onshore and offshore lease sales, overriding protections for preserving pristine water and undisturbed arctic landscapes, and even prohibiting implementation of recommendations to improve mining on public lands.

Further, the bill includes 13 endangered species-related riders that hinder efforts to save iconic species and apex predators, maintain healthy ecosystems that benefit us all, and clarify regulations for stakeholders that help our economy grow. 

And, sadly, the bill also contains numerous discriminatory riders targeting millions of American citizens, which have proven so divisive in earlier markups.

A majority of Americans support the United States taking steps to become carbon neutral by 2050 and they support taking responsibility for future generations. The austere and irresponsible cuts in this bill do not align with their values. We need to rise to this challenge and not squander the opportunity to make the planet better for our children and grandchildren.

I would like to thank Ranking Member DeLauro for her tireless efforts on the Committee and the staff on both sides of the aisle.

I oppose the bill. I urge my colleagues to oppose the bill and I yield back.

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