Congress to claw back foreign aid funding?
May 5th. That's shaping up to be the deadline for the first of what may be many votes by Congress to take back funding it's already appropriated to federal agencies. The DC news organization Punchbowl is reporting that this package of rescissions will be focused on foreign aid and public broadcasting. It's unclear whether there will be direct implications for the Department of the Interior, but there certainly could be. We'll provide updates and options for what you can do as more information becomes available.
Background: Article I of the US Constitution gives Congress the authority to appropriate funding for the federal government to carry out the work that Congress directs. Article II says the Executive Branch must faithfully execute the laws passed by Congress, which includes spending the money that Congress appropriates.
One of the major legal issues facing the Executive Branch with this administration is its refusal to expend funding appropriated to Interior, or to try to spend it on different purposes than Congress intended. (Same goes for most of the rest of the US Government). Terminating staff without cause not only violates personnel law and regulations, it's not expending the funding that Congress appropriated. Carrying out "reduction-in-force" actions before Congress reduced funding and cuts direction to carry out work is not legal. Shutting programs, canceling contracts, and other actions that end the expenditure of funds that Congress appropriated? With some small caveats, all illegal.
There are two ways the administration could carry out their work legally, so far as I know. One is for the fiscal year 2026 President's budget requests to recommend the cuts to government - the people, the institutions, the services and good they provide - to Congress and then see to it those cuts pass. Then, starting 01 October (or whenever a budget is passed), they can follow Congress's direction and carry out the cuts.
Alternatively, the administration can request that Congress rescind - take back - already appropriated funds for agencies. If Congress passes the rescissions then the Executive Branch has to ensure they are carried out - that is, then they can and must make the cuts. This news about a foreign aid rescission package to be voted on by 05 May is this option.
Why this matters to Interior: The Department of the Interior has a significant portfolio in international affairs that might be affected by the proposed rescissions, such as:
- International policy support. If you think the US should be part of the global community on this lovely blue-green-brown marble of a planet we share, then you should be a fan of Interior's international work. Interior provides general international policy support through both the Office of the Secretary - Office of International Affairs and bureau-specific international offices (like at Fish and Wildlife Service). Supporting climate policy, working with Indian Affairs and Office of Native Hawaiian Relations in coordinating DOI efforts to help repatriate Native American cultural heritage from abroad, providing both financial and technical assistance abroad, and much more are all part of how Interior helps the US play its role in the world.
- Wildlife trafficking. If you think making sure the US is doing its part to protect elephants, pangolins, and thousands of other species, then you're a fan of international affairs at Interior. The US is party to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and, relatedly, the Lacey Act, both of which give us obligations to regulate and enforce laws against illegally trafficking wildlife. The US Fish and Wildlife Service is the lead for these at Interior, often working with other agencies like the State Department, to provide aid to other nations to combat the illegal wildlife trade or through direct enforcement.
- Global science and data. If you think the US should make decisions based on science, data, and evidence - and in doing so - then you should be a fan of global science at Interior. Whether it's climate science, critical minerals, or any of many other issues where resources and dynamics cross international boundaries. USGS is the lead for most of Interior's global science, including climate science under the US Global Change Research Act and engaging the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), for example. (Other Interior bureaus, like Fish and Wildlife Service, provide international science and data too!)
What should be next for Interior: Of course, the major issue facing Interior and other agencies that carry out foreign engagement is not that they've had too much funding; it is that there has been too little. It is very likely that too many people either (a) don't know that Interior is part of the Nation's international work or (b) misunderstand how much we actually invest in foreign aid as a Nation.
How much funding does Interior really need to fulfill its international mandate? Does Interior need new authorities to ensure America's international role in resource management, science, and Tribal affairs is met? Are there things Interior doesn't need to do on the international stage because its better suited to another agency? We don't know those answers yet, but as Next Interior continues to develop, we'll do more research and provide the information you'll be able to use to support the next generation of Interior.