Simpson Remarks at Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Bill Full Committee Markup

Thank you, Chairman Cole.  I am pleased to present the Fiscal Year 2026 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. 

Today’s bill has a wide reach, from our national parks to the water in our pipes. It funds fighting wildfires out West and furthers our commitment to our Tribal nations. 

The bill before us today targets resources to reduce energy costs, protect American jobs, and preserve access to our public lands for recreation, hunting, and development of our natural resources.

I recognize that we cannot tackle the nation’s entire debt through the Appropriations Committee given discretionary spending only amounts to roughly 26 percent of U.S. expenditures. The national debt, however, has reached an excess of $36 trillion. The level of funding in this bill takes a necessary step toward fiscal responsibility.

The Interior bill provides $37.971 billion in spending, which is $2.54 billion–or 6.2 percent–below the Fiscal Year 2025 enacted level.

The bill provides funding where it is needed most – by fully funding the Payments in Lieu of Taxes program and wildland firefighter pay, and by making strong investments to further the Federal government’s trust and treaty obligations to our Tribes. 

The bill includes strategic increases to important Tribal programs.  In addition to fully funding contract support costs and 105 (L) leases, it provides $1.5 billion for the Bureau of Indian Education, over $6 billion in advance appropriations for the Indian Health Service, and $771.8 million for law enforcement within the Bureau of Indian Affairs. 

In addition to providing significant resources to support public safety and justice on Tribal lands, the bill also re-establishes the very successful Opioid Reduction Task Force, which was created under the first Trump Administration by our now-colleague and former Interior Secretary Zinke and was unwisely halted during the Biden Administration.  This Narcotics Reduction Task Force will dismantle and disrupt the opioid, heroin, and other dangerous drug distribution networks running rampant in Indian Country and promote safety on Tribal lands. 

Taken together, PILT, firefighter pay, and Tribal programs total $14.7 billion - or 39% - of the spending in this bill. Because we’ve committed to prioritizing these costs, that means the rest of the bill saw even bigger reductions to hit our allocation. This includes a 23% cut to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Despite these reductions, the bill champions American energy dominance and U.S. mineral production by supporting requested increases for conventional energy development, expanding access to hardrock and critical minerals, and reversing harmful Biden-era policies such as costly EPA regulations and Endangered Species Act listings used to block responsible development.  These provisions will unleash American energy, finally putting American industries and businesses first.

The bill also includes important policies to ensure our public lands remain accessible by blocking unnecessary restrictions on hunting, fishing, and recreation industries and supporting timber production. 

In closing, the Interior bill before us funds many important programs that help conserve our Nation’s natural and financial resources, prioritizing investments that matter to our businesses, industries, Tribes, and communities across the country.

I’d like to thank Chairman Cole for his strong support and leadership of this Committee, as well as Ranking Member DeLauro and Ranking Member Pingree.  I look forward to continuing our work together. 

Lastly, I want to thank the Members and staff on both sides of the aisle for their work and contributions to the bill.

With that, I yield back.