Ocean Policy Roundup
May 19-27, 2025
This Memorial Day, we honor and remember those who gave their lives in service to our nation—including the many who served at sea to protect our maritime nation.
Who’s in session this week?
The House and Senate are both in recess.
Make sure you have the ESP Advisors printable 2025 Congressional Schedule and our public 2025 Congressional Google calendar at your fingertips.
News Highlights
A federal judge indefinitely blocked the Trump Administration from proceeding with mass layoffs across most major federal agencies, ruling that the president likely overstepped constitutional boundaries by bypassing congressional authority.
House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK-04) released the markup schedule for Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations bills.
The Save Our Seas 2.0 Amendments Act (S.216) passed the full Senate. It will now head to the House for consideration.
Written by Emily
Big, beautiful bill heads to the Senate
House Republicans passed their “Big, Beautiful” budget reconciliation bill by a single vote before leaving for the Memorial Day recess. The sweeping package would slash climate funding, restructure social safety net programs, enact tax cuts, boost border security and maritime infrastructure, raise the debt ceiling, and roll back federal worker protections.
But the bill’s path in the Senate is far from smooth. GOP Senators have their own priorities—and objections—and each provision must clear the Senate parliamentarian under the rules of budget reconciliation (known as the “Byrd Rule”). Curious how reconciliation works? Here’s our blog post.
Relief from DOGE?
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are ready to move on from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has wreaked havoc across agencies by freezing funds, shutting down offices, and blindsiding Congress with unilateral actions. Even some Republican supporters now admit DOGE has “run its course,” especially after Elon Musk announced plans to scale back his involvement. While DOGE’s legislative priorities—like a $9.3 billion rescissions package—have fizzled, the damage remains, and appropriators are eager to reclaim their constitutional power of the purse.
A federal judge indefinitely blocked the Trump Administration from proceeding with mass layoffs across most major federal agencies, ruling that the president likely overstepped constitutional boundaries by bypassing congressional authority. The preliminary injunction halts planned reductions in force and reorganization efforts, requiring agencies to pause any new or finalized layoffs. The administration has appealed the decision, arguing that the president retains the authority to manage the executive branch workforce.
Government accountability in hot water
The Government Accountability Office (GAO)—Congress’s nonpartisan watchdog—exists to ensure federal agencies follow the law and taxpayer dollars are well spent. But GAO is now in the political crosshairs. Republicans and Trump Administration officials have stepped up attacks on the agency after it repeatedly found the White House violated the Impoundment Control Act by withholding funds appropriated by Congress (read more about this law here).
As GAO defends its independence and nonpartisan role, tensions are escalating over its influence on key policy decisions and checks on executive power.
Important Dates and Deadlines
Tuesday, September 30: FY26 government funding deadline
The House and Senate are in recess, so no hearings are currently scheduled.
Introductions
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) introduced a resolution in the Senate expressing the need for a National Biodiversity Strategy to protect biodiversity for current and future generations (S.Res.248).
Updates
The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a markup and passed several bills through committee, including Sen. Katie Britt’s (R-AL) Water Research Optimization Act (S.1523), Sen. Dan Sullivan’s (R-AK) North Pacific Research Board Enhancement Act (S.190), and Sen. Alex Padilla’s (D-CA) Accelerating Networking, Cyberinfrastructure, and Hardware for Oceanic Research (ANCHOR) Act (S.318).
Rep. Vince Fong’s (R-CA-20) version of the ANCHOR Act (H.R.1223) passed the Full House. Any differences between the Senate and the House version must be reconciled before the bill can pass the Senate and be signed into law.
The Save Our Seas 2.0 Amendments Act (S.216) passed the full Senate. It will now head to the House for consideration.
Congressional Oversight
Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), joined by science leaders, criticized the Trump Administration’s proposed 55% cut to the National Science Foundation’s FY 2026 budget.
Fisheries and Ecosystems
The Trump Administration released an executive order titled Restoring Gold Standard Science in Federal Decision-Making, that sets new guidelines in scientific research. This order referenced a 2021 biological opinion by the National Marine Fisheries Service, which used a “worst-case scenario” projection of the North Atlantic right whale population that led to regulations that the administration claims could have shut down the Maine Lobster Fishery.
Ocean Science and Technology
NOAA revealed findings for its outlook on the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, which goes from June 1 to November 30, predicting a 60% chance of an above-normal season.
NOAA’s Next-Generation Fire System GOES Satellite system has already shown promising results, gaining support from the firefighting community for its potential through advanced AI with scientific data to improve wildfire detection and response.
The Department of the Interior announced it is initiating the process for a potential offshore mineral lease sale near American Samoa.
Offshore Energy
The Department of the Interior announced that the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) has been designated as the lead federal agency responsible for overseeing the decommissioning of oil and gas platforms within the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary.
A new study published in Royal Society Open Science reveals that Alicella gigantea, the world’s largest known amphipod, is far more widespread than previously believed. Once thought to be a rare deep-sea creature, new research suggests this shrimp-like crustacean which can grow up to 34 cm (13.4 inches) appears to inhabit about 59% of the planet's ocean floors. This species mainly inhabits zones beyond 3,000 meters deep, and its apparent rarity is likely due to the extreme difficulty of deep-sea exploration rather than actual scarcity.
Researchers analyzed 195 sightings from 75 global deep-sea sites and conducted new DNA sequencing, revealing genetic similarities between distant populations. This suggests the species has a broad and connected range across the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans.