Bipartisan ‘Minibus’ Deal Balances Climate Cuts and Environmental Resilience Funding
Congress has reached a bipartisan agreement on a spending package, known as a 'minibus', which includes a range of provisions affecting agriculture, environment, and military construction. The bills, product of months of negotiations, reflect compromises from both Democrats and Republicans.
The package includes significant funding for environmental remediation, with $50 million allocated for PFAS cleanups and $53.7 billion for the Toxic Exposures Fund. It also secures full funding for the Government Accountability Office, a victory for Democrats. Meanwhile, the Agriculture-FDA bill supports federal water and conservation programs, rejecting earlier proposals to reduce conservation funds. However, it also includes cuts to the USDA's 10 climate hubs, a win for conservatives. The Military Construction-VA bill provides $730 million to the Energy Resilience Conservation Investment Program, boosting energy resilience efforts.
The bills are a product of compromise, with neither side getting everything it wanted. They reject most of the steep funding cuts sought by the Trump administration and House GOP lawmakers. Representative Mike Johnson, belonging to the House of Representatives, advocated last week for the passage of the agreed minibus legislative package.
The passage of these bills could set a bipartisan tone for the rest of the fiscal 2026 spending cycle, potentially paving the way for more compromise spending bills. While the package includes cuts to climate hubs, it also allocates substantial funds for environmental remediation and energy resilience, demonstrating a balance of priorities from both parties.
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