Happy Capitol Hill Ocean Week!
Breaking news: please join us in welcoming our newest team member — Caroline Roche! Get to know her here.
Who’s in session this week?
The House and Senate are back in session after being out for Memorial Day recess.
Make sure you have the ESP Advisors printable 2025 Congressional Schedule and our public 2025 Congressional Google calendar at your fingertips.
News Highlights
Senate Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) criticized President Trump’s budget request, highlighting the proposed $1.5 billion budget cut to NOAA.
The White House released a Technical Supplement to the 2026 Budget that includes a proposal to fully eliminate NOAA’s office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), a cut to the National Ocean Service of more than 30%, and a cut to NOAA Fisheries of almost 28%.
On Wednesday, June 4 at 10:15 AM, the House Natural Resources Committee’s Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries will hold an oversight hearing titled “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness.”
Written by Emily
Trump’s budget details emerge
On Friday night, the Trump Administration dropped detailed FY26 budget requests for key agencies—offering a first real look at how federal priorities may shift. Sharp cuts are proposed across science and environmental programs.
NOAA’s full request isn’t out at this moment (we expect it to echo April’s leaked passback memo), but the White House FY26 Appendix shows a proposal to fully eliminate NOAA’s office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), a cut to the National Ocean Service of more than 30%, and a cut to NOAA Fisheries of almost 28%.
EPA would see a 55% funding cut in the proposal—dropping to $4.2 billion—and lose over 1,200 staff. The National Estuary Program faces a 20% reduction. Major hits include San Francisco Bay (−$41.6M), Puget Sound (−$25.2M), and science programs tied to water and ecosystem health. Several grant programs—like those for beaches, wetlands, and nonpoint source pollution—are zeroed out.
NSF would take a 44.6% cut to its Geosciences Directorate. Ocean Sciences funding would be slashed by over 60%, down from $424M to $152M. The request shifts focus toward biotech, AI, and national security-linked research, with scaled-back but sustained support for polar operations.
USDA requests $23B in discretionary funding—a 22.5% drop. While farm loans, food safety, and rural infrastructure see boosts, the budget axes or shrinks programs tied to research, conservation, and business development. Aquaculture funding stays flat.
Congressional committees are already reviewing the details. Expect tough questions and bipartisan pushback as hearings continue this week (see the schedule in the next section).
Musk, DOGE, and the long-awaited recissions package
Last week, the Trump administration sent Congress a $9.4 billion rescission package—an attempt to lock in some of the federal spending cuts from the current year’s funding identified by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the short-lived agency formerly led by Elon Musk, who departed last week.
The package includes $8.3 billion in proposed cuts, including to USAID and the African Development Foundation, as well as $1.1 billion cut from NPR, PBS, and other programs funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
These proposed rescissions are just a sliver of the $175 billion DOGE claims to have uncovered. The rescission process—canceling unspent funds previously approved by Congress—needs only a simple majority to pass and skips the Senate filibuster. Speaker Mike Johnson says the House is “eager and ready” to advance the cuts. But in the Senate, resistance is brewing—especially from moderates and defense hawks wary of gutting foreign aid.
And while Musk has officially stepped down, his legacy lingers. The administration is also floating the use of impoundment—withholding funds without congressional sign-off—a controversial move likely to trigger legal battles.
Appropriations markups begin
Markups for the FY26 appropriations bills are starting in the House this week. Appropriations markups are the formal process where congressional committees revise, amend, and vote on federal spending bills—shaping which programs get funded and how much they receive and setting the stage for negotiations between the House, Senate, and White House. Markups are where policy priorities turn into actual dollars. We’ll be watching closely.
Check out the schedule here.
ESP University
Confused about the difference between a budget request and budget rescission? Here’s our explainer.
Need a reminder about the Impoundment Control Act and the separation of power over spending? Here’s our summary.
Important Dates and Deadlines
Tuesday, September 30: FY26 government funding deadline
June 4, 2025
10:00 AM — A Review of the President’s Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Request for the Department of Commerce; Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
10:15 AM — Oversight Hearing: Restoring America’s Seafood Competitiveness; House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries
June 5, 2025
11:00 AM — Budget Hearing: FY26 Request for the Department of Commerce; House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
Introductions
Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-NM-01) introduced a resolution expressing the need for the Senate to provide advice and consent to ratification of the U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity (H.Con.Res.34).
Congressional Oversight
Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM) sent a letter to the U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum that expressed concern over the Trump Administration's proposal to reduce the National Park Service's budget by $900 million and to transfer the National Park System units out of federal management.
Senate Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) criticized President Trump’s budget request, highlighting the proposed $1.5 billion budget cut to NOAA.
Fisheries and Ecosystems
House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Jared Huffman (D-CA-02) criticized the Supreme Court's NEPA ruling, stating that it allows agencies to ignore climate and health impacts and favors polluters and undermines environmental protections. Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-AR-04) applauded this decision, praising the ruling as a necessary correction that limits NEPA’s scope and curbs excessive litigation.
House Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-AR-04) led a bipartisan delegation, with Reps. Sarah Elfreth (D-MD-03), Harriet Hageman (R-WY-At Large), Celeste Maloy (R-UT-02), and Nick Begich (R-AK-At Large), to South Korea to meet with leaders such as Do-hyung Kang, Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, to discuss energy, trade, fisheries, and regional security.
Ocean Science and Technology
The Center for Biological Diversity has filed a lawsuit seeking public records on a Trump Administration plan to allow SpaceX and the U.S. Space Force to land rockets on Johnston Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, raising concerns about transparency and potential harm to sensitive marine and wildlife habitats.
Florida’s Save the Manatee Club recorded its 2025 manatee count for Blue Spring State Park, and the results were record-breaking! At 736 adults and 80 calves, the population has grown from just 36 manatees first counted by Save the Manatee Club’s Wayne Hartley in the early 1980s. The park’s warm, relatively constant 72°F (22°C) spring water provides a critical refuge for manatees during cold winter months, and draws them from all across the region.