Ocean Policy Roundup
March 31-April 7, 2025
There will be no weekly roundup next week, as our team will be focused on internal strategic planning. We will pick back up on Monday, April 21.
Let’s dive in on what’s up in Washington.
Who’s in session?
The House and Senate both in session this week.
Make sure you have the ESP Advisors printable 2025 Congressional Schedule and our public 2025 Congressional Google calendar at your fingertips.
News Highlights
Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA-01) was announced as the new Republican co-chair of the bipartisan House Oceans Caucus, joining Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-01) in leading the group.
Reps. Chellie Pingree (D-ME-01), Jill Toduka (D-HI-02), Josh Harder (D-CA-09), and Clay Higgins (R-LA-03) introduced the Fishing Industry Credit Enhancement Act. The bill would allow fishers to access loans from the Farm Credit System for fishery operation costs. Sens. Angus King (I-ME), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Christopher Coons (D-DE), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), and Dan Sullivan (R-AK) introduced the Senate version of the bill.
Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Alex Padilla (D-CA) introduced the Fog Observations and Geographic Forecasting Act (FOG Forecasting Act) (S.1278), a bill that would require NOAA to conduct a project to improve coastal marine fog forecasts.
Written by Emily
Big moves, big reactions. President Trump’s new tariffs on all imports sparked market drops and pushback from some Republicans, while administration officials say more than 50 countries are seeking deals. Over the weekend, more than 1,300 “Hands Off” protests took place nationwide, aimed at the president’s broader agenda—just as deadly storms and historic flooding battered the central U.S. Meanwhile, D.C. had a reason to cheer: hometown hero Alex Ovechkin set a new NHL record for most career goals.
Budget Reconciliation
The Senate passed the new budget resolution in a 51-48 vote early Saturday after a marathon vote-a-rama—yes, the second one this year, and it’s only April. Both moderate and hard-right Republicans have concerns as the resolution now moves to the House, where GOP leaders will need near-total unity to push it through and kick off the reconciliation process. Deficit hawks are already signaling resistance, making the path forward anything but smooth.
If the House makes changes, the resolution will head back to the Senate for yet another vote—once both chambers agree, Republicans can finally start writing the actual legislation.
DOGE News
Agencies have until April 14 to submit longer term plans for reductions in force (RIFs), agency reorganization/relocation, and changes to BIL and IRA grants to better align with the administration’s priorities. Expect news and changes to come shortly thereafter.
Meanwhile, Trump shared that Elon Musk may soon be stepping back from the White House to return to running his businesses.
Ocean Action Last Week
The bipartisan House and Senate Oceans Caucuses kicked off the 119th Congress with their first joint briefing and reception, spotlighting shared priorities for future ocean policy wins. The headline: Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA-01) was announced as the new Republican co-chair of the House Oceans Caucus, joining Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-01) in leading the group. This event was cohosted by ESP Advisors and the Oceans Caucus Foundation, and we’re totally unbiased in saying it was a hit!
House Natural Resources Democrats held a forum on Wednesday focusing on impacts and implications of DOGE-related cuts to NOAA. And there was a *minor* freakout on Friday when website contracting for NOAA was canceled as the agency tries to meet the Commerce Department’s requirements of slashing its IT budget by half. NOAA wound up reversing the cancellation before many of the agency’s office of research websites went dark.
Not sure how to navigate the chaos? We’re here to help. Reach out: emily@espadvisor.com.
Important Dates and Deadlines
Tuesday, September 30: FY26 government funding deadline
April 8, 2025
10:15 AM — Legislative hearing on the following bills: Rep. Jodey Arrington’s (R-TX-19) bill to prohibit the implementation of a Land Protection Plan for Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge (H.R.839), Rep. Mike Quigley’s (R-IL-05) Great Lakes Fishery Research Reauthorization Act (H.R.1809), Rep. Mike Ezell’s (R-MS-04) Cormorant Relief Act (H.R.2293), and Rep. Jeff Hurd’s (R-CO-03) Wetlands Conservation and Access Improvement Act of 2025 (H.R.2316); House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries
April 9, 2025
9:45 AM — Business Meeting to vote on the following nominations: Sean Donahue, of Florida, to be an Assistant Administrator of the EPA, Jessica Kramer, of Wisconsin, to an Assistant Administrator of the EPA, and Brian Nesvik, of Wyoming, to be Director of the USFWS; Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works
10:00 AM — Full Committee Markup; House Committee on Natural Resources
Introductions
Reps. Chellie Pingree (D-ME-01), Jill Toduka (D-HI-02), Josh Harder (D-CA-09), and Clay Higgins (R-LA-03) introduced the Fishing Industry Credit Enhancement Act (H.R.2518). The bill would allow fishers to access loans from the Farm Credit System (FCS) for fishery operation costs. Sens. Angus King (I-ME), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Christopher Coons (D-DE), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), and Dan Sullivan (R-AK) introduced the Senate version of the bill (S.1217).
Rep. Mike Ezell (R-MS-04) introduced the Secretary of the Coast Guard Act (H.R.2546) to establish a Secretary position in the Coast Guard to mirror the leadership structure of the Army, Navy, and Air Force.
Sens. Dick Durbin (D-IL), Mike Rounds (R-SD), and Angus King (I-ME) introduced a bill that would streamline the path for advanced Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) international graduates who studied at U.S. universities to legally remain in the country (S.1233). Reps. Bill Foster (D-IL-11), Michael Lawler (R-NY-17), Chrissy Houlihan (D-PA-06), and Del. Eleanor Norton-Holmes (D-DC-At Large) introduced the House version of the bill (H.R.2627).
Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI), John Cornyn (R-TX), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Roger Wicker (R-MS), and Todd Young (R-IN) introduced the Securing Smart Investments in Our Ports Act (S.1238). The bill would expand the Port Infrastructure Development Program to allow Great Lakes ports to receive a fair share of available funds.
Sen. Ron Wyden reintroduced the Watershed Results Act (S.1242) to allow the Department of the Interior to identify and carry out watershed restoration pilot projects.
Reps. Chip Roy (R-TX-21) and August Pfluger (R-TX-11) introduced a bill to remove certain species from the ESA lists of threatened and endangered species (H.R.2608).
Sens. Tom Cotton (R-AR), Katie Britt (R-AL), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), and Roger Wicker (R-MS) reintroduced the Cormorant Relief Act (S.1255). The bill would allow aquaculture fish farmers to cull predatory birds impacting their operations. Rep. Mike Ezell (R-MS-04) introduced the House version of the bill (H.R.2293) last week.
Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-01), and Dels. Amata Coleman Radewagen (R-American Samoa- At Large), James Moylan (R-Guam-At Large) introduced the Save Our Seas 2.0 Amendments Act (H.R.2620), a bill that would improve NOAA’s administration of the Marine Debris Program. Sens. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) lead the Senate version of the bill (S.216).
Reps. Bill Foster (D-IL-11), Jill Tokuda (D-HI-02), Sean Casten (D-IL-06), and Del. Eleanor Norton-Holmes (D-DC-At Large) introduced the American Innovation Act (H.R.2628), a bill that would provide annual budget increases for research at the Department of Energy Office of Science; the National Science Foundation; the National Institute of Standards and Technology Scientific and Technical Research Services; the Department of Defense Science and Technology Programs; and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Science Directorate. Sens. Dick Durbin (D-IL), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), and Brian Schatz (D-HI) introduced the Senate version of the bill (S.1276).
Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Alex Padilla (D-CA) introduced the Fog Observations and Geographic Forecasting Act (FOG Forecasting Act) (S.1278), a bill that would require NOAA to conduct a project to improve coastal marine fog forecasts.
Congressional Oversight
Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-RI-02) and other Democratic House Natural Resources Committee members held an issues forum on Tuesday, April 2 and released a statement with quotes from Members and panelists.
Fisheries and Ecosystems
In November 2024, NOAA Fisheries' Office of Law Enforcement, in collaboration with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Brazil's environmental agency, intercepted over 12 tons of illegal red snapper in Newark, New Jersey, which was subsequently returned to Brazil; this joint effort also led to the seizure of an additional 40 tons of illegal red snapper at Brazilian ports, aiming to protect U.S. fishermen and ensure sustainable fisheries.
Ranking Member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Rick Larsen (D-WA-02) and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management Greg Stanton (D-AZ-04) released a statement condemning the Trump Administration’s announcement that it ended the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant program.
Ocean Science and Technology
NOAA's new oceanographic research vessels, Discoverer and Oceanographer, have reached significant construction milestones, with Discoverer launched in March 2025 and Oceanographer floated in fall 2024; both ships incorporate advanced clean energy technologies and are expected to be completed in 2026.
House Science, Space, and Technology Full Committee Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA-18) and Subcommittee on Environment Ranking Member Gabe Amo (D-RI-01) released a statement in response to reporting that key NOAA websites would be shut down.
Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA-04), Ranking Member of the House Natural Resources Committee, released a statement after reports that key NOAA websites and databases would go dark.
Offshore Wind and Energy
On April 4, 2025, the Department of the Interior announced plans to hold an oil and gas lease sale in the Gulf of America, aiming to unlock offshore energy resources to lower consumer costs and enhance national security.
EPA Regional Administrator Michael Martucci visited Puerto Rico to collaborate with local leaders on enhancing energy resilience, modernizing infrastructure, and ensuring regulatory certainty, aligning with EPA's Powering the Great American Comeback initiative.
Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, and Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (D-OH-09), Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, responded to reports of plans for potential mass reductions in force (RIF) at the Department of Energy
The House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing on America’s land and water-based energy resources and released a statement and summary of the hearing.
During NOAA's 2024 Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Survey aboard the F/V ESS Pursuit, scientists discovered a dense, unidentified jawbone in their second dredge haul. After consulting with Dr. Nick Pyenson from the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, the bone was identified as the right jawbone of a likely extinct Ice Age walrus, marking a rare and significant find.
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