Republicans are proposing deep cuts to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the fiscal year 2026 appropriations bill, which additionally would limit federal help for farmers dealing with "forever chemical" contamination. The bill, released in mid-July and debated in a US House of Representatives subcommittee, would impact regulations for clean water and air, use and management of public land, wildlife habitats and endangered species protections.

In addition to a broad 23% proposed cut to the EPA's overall budget, the bill seeks to reduce the budgets of the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service each by about 6%. All three proposed agency budgets, however, are higher than Trump requested. Supporters said the bill would right-size agencies that had become bloated and instead prioritize domestic energy production, tribal and wildfire support. The bill increases funding for Tribal Public Safety and Justice programs, Indian Health Services, wildland fire management and offshore oil and gas development budgets.

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Ed. - Even better!!! Special carve-outs for manufacturers of toxic chemicals!!!!

The bill also prohibits the use of any EPA funds to "finalize, implement, administer, or enforce" the agency's draft assessment on two harmful types of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that are that are known to be are contaminating farms, ranches and dairies around the country. The assessment on perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), released in January concluded "there may be human health risks" from PFAS-tainted sewage sludge fertilizer, and outlined a series of steps the agency would take to address the pollution. PFOS and PFOA are linked to a variety of health problems, including certain cancers and immune system and reproductive harms.

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The bill wades into ongoing controversy over pesticide labeling by blocking any federal funds from being used to "issue or adopt any guidance or any policy, take any regulatory action, or approve any labeling or change to such labeling" for labels that are inconsistent with the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act. Environmental and health advocates say this signals the feds want to continue discouraging states from adopting pesticide labels more strict than the EPA-approved labels, which is something pesticide makers and large farm groups have pushed for. And the bill would bar any action to limit use of the sterilizing chemical and fumigant ethylene oxide, a known carcinogen. Its continued use is currently under review by the EPA.

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https://thecirclenews.org/environment/gop-2026-budget-guts-environmental-protections/