This morning, a coalition of 85 groups sent the letter below to Congress urging them to preserve environmental funding in any and all spending bills, to exclude any anti-environmental policy provisions, and to ensure that all funding enacted by Congress is faithfully executed, including the salaries of all career civil servants charged with protecting our environment and our health.

***

March 10, 2025

The Honorable Susan Collins
Chair
Committee on Appropriations
U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable Patty Murray
Vice Chair
Committee on Appropriations
U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable Tom Cole
Chair
Committee on Appropriations
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Rosa L. DeLauro
Ranking Member
Committee on Appropriations
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Chairs Collins and Cole, Vice Chair Murray, and Ranking Member DeLauro:

On behalf of our tens of millions of members and supporters across the country, the 85 undersigned organizations urge you to preserve environmental funding in annual appropriations bills for Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25), to exclude any anti-environmental policy provisions, and to ensure that all funding enacted by Congress is faithfully executed, including the salaries of all career civil servants charged with protecting our environment and our health.

The agencies and programs tasked with protecting our health, lands, wildlife, air, water, and oceans have long been chronically underfunded despite the importance of their missions. The harmful spending caps imposed under laws like the Fiscal Responsibility Act and the Budget Control Act have shortchanged critical environmental initiatives for over a decade, compounding preexisting shortfalls. It is imperative that Congress quickly reverses this trend to better meet the full needs of our communities and ecosystems alike. Underfunded environmental programs mean higher health care and energy costs for families, degraded public lands and waters, and higher risk to communities from climate-fueled natural disasters, among many other impacts to people across the country. We also urge you to oppose anti-environmental policy riders—including those carried forward from prior funding bills—which have no place in the appropriations process.

We are extremely concerned by recent administrative actions to withhold congressionally appropriated funding and dismantle the federal workforce. Bipartisan funding laws are painstakingly negotiated by Congress under the assumption that the executive branch will faithfully implement the will of the people’s elected representatives—a duty clearly enumerated under constitutional law. In most years this fact is taken for granted, but it is a basic and necessary prerequisite for any federal funding deal. Alarmingly, the White House’s requested “anomalies” for the continuing resolution would cede even more of Congress’ authority by granting the administration even broader discretion to spend—or not spend—appropriated funds. Congress must ensure that the legislative branch’s Article I power of the purse is protected as part of any funding agreement.

With your leadership, we can—and must—rebuild and equip the crucial agencies and programs that protect the air we breathe, the water we drink, the lands we hold dear, and so much more. Not only is additional funding necessary to address the climate and biodiversity crises and to remedy the years of chronic underfunding for our environment, but these investments can also create good-paying jobs, support thriving businesses large and small, and revitalize our communities. We thank you for your consideration and stand ready to support you in meeting this request.

Sincerely,

350.org
Alaska Wilderness League
Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments
American Bird Conservancy
American Hiking Society
American Rivers
Appalachian Mountain Club
Aquarium Conservation Partnership
Ascend Wilderness Experience
California Native Plant Society
Change the Chamber
Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) Action Fund
Chispa Nevada
Clean Water Action
Climate Action Campaign
Climate Justice Alliance
Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks
Conservation Lands Foundation
Defenders of Wildlife
Earthjustice Action
Earthworks
Elevate
Endangered Species Coalition
Environmental Defenders of McHenry County
Environmental Defense Fund
Environmental Law & Policy Center
Environmental Protection Network
Environmental Working Group
Evergreen Action
Forest Unlimited
Friends of Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge
Friends of the Earth Action
Friends of the Inyo
Grand Canyon Wolf Recovery Project
GreenLatinos
Greenpeace USA
Health Care Without Harm
Healthy Ocean Coalition
Illinois Environmental Council
Illinois Stewardship Alliance
Inland Ocean Coalition
Just Zero
Kentucky Waterways Alliance
Kids for Saving Earth
Latino Outdoors
League of Conservation Voters
Los Padres ForestWatch
Monterey Bay Aquarium
National Ocean Protection Coalition
National Wildlife Federation
Natural Resources Defense Council
Nature for All
Next 100 Coalition
Ocean Conservancy
Ocean Defense Initiative
Oceana
One Mississippi
Partnership for Policy Integrity
Piedmont Environmental Alliance
Plastic Pollution Coalition
Prairie Rivers Network
Rachel Carson Council
Save the Manatee Club
Sierra Club
Sierra Foothills Audubon Society
Sierra Forest Legacy
Sierra Nevada Alliance
Silvix Resources
Sky Island Alliance
Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance
Surfrider Foundation
The Earth Bill Network
The Last Plastic Straw
The Wilderness Society
Trust for Public Land
Tuleyome
Tuolumne River Trust
Turtle Island Restoration Network
U.S. Climate Action Network
Unite the Parks
Voices for Progress
WE ACT for Environmental Justice
Western Leaders Network
Western Watersheds Project
Winter Wildlands Alliance

Cc:
Speaker Mike Johnson, U.S. House of Representatives
Republican Leader John Thune, U.S. Senate
Democratic Leader Charles E. Schumer, U.S. Senate
Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, U.S. House of Representatives