Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies: Overview of FY2025 Appropriations
Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies: Overview of FY2025 Appropriations
Updated February 26, 2025
Congressional Research Service
https://crsreports.congress.gov
R48267
Congressional Research Service
SUMMARY
Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies: Overview of FY2025 Appropriations
The Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bill—often called the Interior bill—contains funding for about three dozen agencies and entities. They include most of the Department of the Interior and agencies within other departments, such as the Forest Service (Department of Agriculture) and the Indian Health Service (Department of Health and Human Services). The bill also provides funding for the Environmental Protection Agency, arts and cultural agencies, and other entities. Perennial issues for Congress include determining the amount, terms, and conditions of funding for agencies and programs.
Because no regular, full-year appropriations were enacted before the start of FY2025 on October 1, 2024, Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies have been funded since that time at FY2024 levels, with certain exceptions, under a continuing appropriations resolution. The CR is in effect through March 14, 2025 (under P.L. 118-158, Division A), unless different levels of appropriations are enacted earlier.
For FY2025, President Biden requested $42.71 billion for the agencies and entities funded in the Interior bill. On July 24, 2024, the House passed H.R. 8998 with $42.07 billion; on July 25, 2024, the Senate Appropriations Committee reported S. 4802 with $44.93 billion. All three FY2025 totals included $2.75 billion for certain wildfire suppression activities under an adjustment to discretionary spending limits, the maximum available for FY2025. The FY2024 total appropriation was $41.33 billion for the Interior bill (P.L. 118-42, Division E), including $2.65 billion (the FY2024 maximum) under the discretionary cap adjustment for wildfire suppression. The FY2025 totals in the President’s request, H.R. 8998, and S. 4802 and the FY2024 enacted total would divide funding differently among the three major titles of the Interior bill, as shown in the figure below.
Issues affecting comparisons between the FY2024 and FY2025 appropriations relate to advance appropriations for the Indian Health Service and rescissions of prior year appropriations, among other matters. Including these variables, the FY2025 appropriations requested by the President, contained in H.R. 8998 (118th Congress), and contained in S. 4802 (118th Congress) would provide different levels of increase over FY2024 enacted appropriations. Further, the FY2025 level in S. 4802 would be $2.23 billion higher than President’s FY2025 request and $2.87 billion higher than the FY2025 House-passed level.
R48267
February 26, 2025
Carol Hardy Vincent Specialist in Natural Resources Policy
Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies: Overview of FY2025 Appropriations
Congressional Research Service
Appropriations for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, by Major Title, FY2024-FY2025
Source: Prepared by CRS with data from the House and Senate Appropriations Committees. Notes: Amounts shown on the bars may not sum to totals shown due to rounding. In general, amounts represent regular annual appropriations for the pertinent fiscal year (FY2024 or FY2025), rescissions of prior year appropriations, and advance appropriations for the Indian Health Service (in Title III). More specifically, the FY2024 enacted total of $41.33 billion reflects total rescissions of $563.0 million under three separate titles of the law: $27.5 million in Title I, $1.5 million in Title II, and $534.0 million in Title IV. The FY2025 House-passed total of $42.07 billion reflects $55.0 million in rescissions in Title IV.
Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies: Overview of FY2025 Appropriations
Congressional Research Service
Contents
Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Overview of FY2025 Legislative Action ........................................................................................ 2 Overview of Agencies in the Bill .................................................................................................... 3
Title I. Department of the Interior ............................................................................................. 4 Title II. Environmental Protection Agency ............................................................................... 7 Title III. Related Agencies......................................................................................................... 7
Figures
Figure 1. Appropriations for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies by Major Title,
FY2024-FY2025 .......................................................................................................................... 3
Tables
Table 1. Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies: FY2024-FY2025 Appropriations.............. 8
Contacts
Author Information ......................................................................................................................... 11
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Introduction
This report examines FY2025 discretionary appropriations for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies. Issues for Congress include determining the amount of funding for agencies and programs in the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bill—often called the Interior bill—and the terms and conditions of such funding.
The report focuses on the regular (annual) appropriations for the Interior bill. It first presents a short overview of FY2025 legislative action and a brief comparison of FY2024 enacted appropriations and FY2025 appropriations requested by President Biden—included in H.R. 8998 as passed by the House, and in S. 4802 as reported by the Senate Appropriations Committee.1 The report then provides an overview of the agencies and other entities funded in the Interior bill. Finally, the report presents a table showing appropriations by agency/entity for FY2024 enacted, FY2025 requested, FY2025 House-passed, and FY2025 Senate committee-reported. Agency and bill totals in this report generally reflect rescissions. In general, this report does not detail supplemental, advance, and mandatory appropriations.2
Appropriations are complex. Budget justifications for some agencies are extensive (often hundreds of pages long) and contain numerous proposed funding, programmatic, and legislative changes for congressional consideration. Further, appropriations laws provide funds for numerous accounts, activities, and sub-activities. Their accompanying explanatory statements provide additional directives and other important information. This report does not provide in-depth information at the agency, account, and subaccount levels, nor does it generally detail budgetary reorganizations or legislative changes proposed for FY2025 or enacted for FY2024. For information on a particular agency or on individual accounts, programs, or activities administered by a particular agency, see the Congressional Research Service (CRS) products provided in footnotes throughout this report; congressional clients also may contact the key policy staff listed at the end of this report.3 In addition, selected reports related to appropriations for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, such as individual agencies (e.g., National Park Service) or crosscutting programs (e.g., Wildland Fire Management), are listed under “Interior & Environment Appropriations” on the “Appropriations” Issue Area page on the CRS website, which is available to congressional staff.4
1 The committee report that accompanied S. 4802 was U.S. Congress, Senate Committee on Appropriations, Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, 2025, report to accompany S. 4802, 118th Cong., 2nd sess., S.Rept. 118-201, July 25, 2024. The committee report that accompanied H.R. 8998, when reported on July 11, 2024, was U.S. Congress, House Committee on Appropriations, Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, 2025, report to accompany H.R. 8998, 118th Cong., 2nd sess., H.Rept. 118-581.
2 For example, this report excludes emergency supplemental appropriations; advance and emergency advance appropriations (e.g., in Division J, Appropriations, of P.L. 117-58, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act); and mandatory appropriations under authorizing statutes, such as under P.L. 116-152, the Great American Outdoors Act, which provided mandatory appropriations for the Land and Water Conservation Fund and deferred maintenance of federal land management agencies and the Bureau of Indian Education.
3 This report provides in footnotes the most recent CRS products covering appropriations for agencies in the Interior bill.
4 The “Interior & Environment Appropriations” subissue page is available to congressional clients on the CRS website at https://www.crs.gov/iap/appropriations (under “All Subissues”).
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Overview of FY2025 Legislative Action
Full-year regular appropriations were not enacted for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies before the start of FY2025 on October 1, 2024. Accordingly, agencies in the Interior bill are receiving funding under a continuing resolution (CR),5 which in general provided appropriations at FY2024 levels as contained in P.L. 118-42, Division E. However, the CR contained certain exceptions—for instance, for the National Park Service for security and visitor safety activities related to the Presidential Inaugural Ceremonies and for the U.S. Forest Service for wildland fire suppression.6 The CR is in effect through March 14, 2025, unless different levels of appropriations are enacted earlier.
For FY2025, President Biden requested $42.71 billion for the roughly three dozen agencies and entities funded in the Interior bill. On July 24, 2024, the House passed H.R. 8998 with $42.07 billion for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies.7 On July 25, 2024, the Senate Appropriations Committee reported S. 4802 with $44.93 billion for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies for FY2025.8
For FY2025, the President’s request, House-passed H.R. 8998, and Senate committee-reported S. 4802 included $2.75 billion for certain wildfire suppression activities under an adjustment to discretionary spending limits, the maximum available for this fiscal year. Under law, an adjustment can be made to discretionary spending limits to accommodate enacted funding for wildfire suppression.9 For FY2024, $2.65 billion was the maximum, and the FY2024 law contained this amount.
In earlier action, on March 9, 2024, the President signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 (P.L. 118-42). Division E contained $41.33 billion for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies for FY2024.
Different methods of comparing Interior appropriations would lead to varying dollar and percentage differences among FY2024 enacted appropriations and FY2025 appropriations requested by the President, contained in H.R. 8998, and contained in S. 4802. Among other variables, the comparative approach used in this report for the two fiscal years reflects advance appropriations for the Indian Health Service for FY2026 and rescissions of prior year appropriations for various purposes. Rescissions are treated as an offset to new appropriations. Including these variables, the FY2025 appropriations requested by the President, contained in
5 Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025, P.L. 118-83, Division A, Continuing Appropriations Act, 2025; and American Relief Act, 2025, P.L. 118-158, Division A, Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2025.
6 Such exceptions often are referred to as anomalies. For a discussion of the exceptions in the continuing resolution related to agencies in the Interior bill (as well as other appropriations bills), see CRS Report R48214, Overview of Continuing Appropriations for FY2025 (Division A of P.L. 118-83), by Drew C. Aherne.
7 In earlier action, on July 11, 2024, the House Appropriations Committee reported H.R. 8998 with $42.08 billion. See H.Rept. 118-581.
8 As noted, the accompanying Senate committee report was S.Rept. 118-201.
9 This authority is contained in the Wildfire Suppression Funding and Forest Management Activities Act, Division O of P.L. 115-141, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018. The adjustment may not exceed specified amounts for each of FY2020-FY2027. For information on discretionary spending limits, see CRS In Focus IF10647, The Budget Resolution and the Budget Control Act’s Discretionary Spending Limits, by Megan S. Lynch; CRS Report R44874, The Budget Control Act: Frequently Asked Questions, by Grant A. Driessen and Megan S. Lynch; and CRS Report R45778, Exceptions to the Budget Control Act’s Discretionary Spending Limits, by Megan S. Lynch, especially the “Wildfire Suppression” section. For a discussion of the cap adjustment for wildfire suppression, see CRS In Focus IF12398, Funding for Wildfire Management: FY2024 Appropriations for the Forest Service and Department of the Interior, by Anne A. Riddle; and CRS Report R46583, Federal Wildfire Management: Ten-Year Funding Trends and Issues (FY2011-FY2020), by Anne A. Riddle.
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H.R. 8998, and contained in S. 4802 would provide different levels of increase over FY2024 enacted appropriations. Specifically, the request sought an increase of $1.38 billion, the House- passed bill would provide an increase of $739.6 million, and the Senate committee-reported bill would provide an increase of $3.61 billion over FY2024 levels. Moreover, the FY2025 level in S. 4802 is $2.23 billion higher than the President’s FY2025 request and $2.87 billion higher than the FY2025 House-passed level.
The FY2024 appropriation included $5.19 billion in advance appropriations as well as a total of $563.0 million in rescissions of prior year appropriations under three separate titles of the law. The FY2025 President’s request did not include advance appropriations or rescissions. The FY2025 House-passed total included $5.98 billion in advance appropriations and rescissions of $55.0 million. The FY2025 Senate committee-reported total contained $5.46 billion in advance appropriations but did not contain rescissions. Figure 1 and Table 1 detail this comparison.
Figure 1. Appropriations for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies by Major
Title, FY2024-FY2025
Source: Prepared by CRS with data from the House and Senate Appropriations Committees. Notes: Amounts shown on the bars may not sum to totals shown due to rounding. In general, amounts reflected in the figure represent regular annual appropriations for the pertinent fiscal year (FY2024 or FY2025), rescissions of prior year appropriations, and advance appropriations for the Indian Health Service (in Title III). More specifically, the FY2024 enacted total of $41.33 billion reflects total rescissions of $563.0 million under three separate titles of the law: $27.5 million in Title I, $1.5 million in Title II, and $534.0 million in Title IV. The FY2025 House-passed total of $42.07 billion reflects $55.0 million in rescissions in Title IV.
Overview of Agencies in the Bill
The annual Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bill includes funding and other provisions for agencies and programs in three federal departments and for numerous related agencies. The Interior bill typically contains three primary appropriations titles and a fourth title
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with general provisions.10 Title I provides funding for most agencies in the Department of the Interior (DOI),11 many of which manage land and other natural resource or regulatory programs. Title I also typically includes general provisions related to DOI agencies. Title II contains appropriations and administrative provisions for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Title III, Related Agencies, generally funds about two dozen other entities, including the Forest Service in the Department of Agriculture; the Indian Health Service in the Department of Health and Human Services; arts and cultural agencies, including the Smithsonian Institution; and various other organizations and entities. Title III also contains administrative provisions for some agencies funded therein. Title IV, General Provisions, typically contains additional guidance and direction for agencies in the bill. The following sections briefly describe selected major agencies in the Interior bill.
Title I. Department of the Interior12
DOI’s mission is to conserve and manage the nation’s natural resources and cultural heritage; provide scientific and other information about those resources; and exercise trust responsibilities and other commitments to American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and affiliated island communities.13 There are 10 major DOI agencies and 2 other broad accounts funded in the Interior bill that carry out this mission. Hereinafter, these 12 entities are referred to collectively as the DOI agencies. The DOI agencies and their functions funded in the FY2024 Interior bill included the following:
• The Bureau of Land Management administers about 244 million acres of federal public land, mostly in the West, for diverse uses such as energy and mineral development, livestock grazing, recreation, and preservation. The agency also administers 713 million acres of federal onshore subsurface mineral estate throughout the nation and supervises the mineral operations on Indian trust lands.14
• The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service administers 89 million acres of federal land within the National Wildlife Refuge System and other areas,15 including 77 million acres in Alaska. It also manages several large marine refuges and marine national monuments, sometimes jointly with other federal agencies. In addition, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, together with the National Marine Fisheries Service (Department of Commerce), is responsible for implementing the Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. §§1531 et seq.); promoting wildlife habitat; enforcing federal wildlife laws; supporting wildlife and ecosystem
10 On occasion, the House, Senate, or enacted version of the Interior bill has contained additional titles. For instance, S. 4686, the FY2023 Interior appropriations bill introduced in the Senate, contained a Title V, with emergency appropriations for disaster recovery and emergency response of several agencies.
11 The exceptions are the Bureau of Reclamation and the Central Utah Project, which receive appropriations through Energy and Water Development appropriations laws. For information on appropriations for these entities, see CRS Report R48097, Energy and Water Development: FY2025 Appropriations, by Mark Holt and Anna E. Normand; and CRS In Focus IF12661, Bureau of Reclamation: FY2025 Budget and Appropriations, by Charles V. Stern.
12 For additional background on the Department of the Interior (DOI) and its agencies, see CRS Report R45480, U.S. Department of the Interior: An Overview, by Mark K. DeSantis.
13 DOI, “About Interior,” https://www.doi.gov/about.
14 For an overview of FY2025 appropriations for the Bureau of Land Management, see CRS In Focus IF12749, Bureau of Land Management: FY2025 Appropriations, by Carol Hardy Vincent.
15 This is the acreage over which the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has primary jurisdiction in the United States and the territories. The figure excludes acreage in marine national monuments over which the agency also has jurisdiction.
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science; conserving migratory birds; administering grants to aid state fish and wildlife programs; and coordinating with state, international, and other federal agencies on fish and wildlife issues.16
• The National Park Service administers more than 80 million acres of federal land within the National Park System, including 431 separate units in the 50 states, District of Columbia, and U.S. territories. Roughly two-thirds of the system’s lands are in Alaska. The National Park Service has a dual mission—to preserve unique resources and to provide for their enjoyment by the public. The agency also supports and promotes some resource conservation activities outside the National Park System through grant and technical assistance programs and cooperation with partners.17
• The U.S. Geological Survey is a science agency that provides physical and biological information related to geological resources; natural hazards; climate and land use change; and energy, mineral, water, and biological sciences and resources. In addition, it is the federal government’s principal civilian mapping agency (e.g., topographical and geological mapping) and a primary source of data on the quantity and quality of the nation’s water resources (e.g., streamgaging).18
• The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management manages development of the nation’s offshore conventional and renewable energy resources in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Alaska region. These resources are in areas covering approximately 2.5 billion acres located beyond state waters. This acreage is off all coastal states, although much of it (more than 1 billion acres) is in the Alaska region.19
• The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement provides regulatory and safety oversight for resource development on the outer continental shelf. Among the bureau’s responsibilities are oil and gas permitting, facility inspections, environmental compliance, and oil spill response planning.20
• The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement works with states and tribes to reclaim abandoned coal mining sites. The agency also regulates active coal mining sites to minimize environmental impacts during mining and to reclaim affected lands and waters after mining.21
16 For an overview of FY2025 appropriations for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, see CRS In Focus IF12638, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: FY2025 Appropriations, by Caitlin Keating-Bitonti.
17 For a discussion of the different types of national park units and an overview of their management, see CRS Report R41816, National Park System: What Do the Different Park Titles Signify?, by Laura B. Comay. For an overview of FY2025 appropriations for the National Park Service, see CRS In Focus IF12713, National Park Service: FY2025 Appropriations, by Laura B. Comay. For an overview of National Park Service appropriations in recent years, see CRS Report R42757, National Park Service (NPS) Appropriations: Ten-Year Trends, by Laura B. Comay.
18 For an overview of FY2025 appropriations for the U.S. Geological Survey, see CRS In Focus IF12620, The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS): Background and FY2025 Appropriations, by Anna E. Normand.
19 For a discussion of state and federal waters, see CRS Report RL33404, Offshore Oil and Gas Development: Legal Framework, by Adam Vann. For an overview of FY2025 appropriations for the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, see CRS In Focus IF12782, Offshore Energy Agency Appropriations, FY2025, by Laura B. Comay.
20 For an overview of FY2025 appropriations for the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, see CRS In Focus IF12782, Offshore Energy Agency Appropriations, FY2025, by Laura B. Comay.
21 For additional information on the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, see CRS In Focus IF11352, The Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund: Issues and Legislation in the 117th Congress, by Lance N. Larson; and CRS Report R46610, Reclamation of Coal Mining Operations: Select Issues and Legislation, by Lance N. Larson.
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• The Bureau of Indian Affairs provides and funds various services to American Indians and Alaska Natives. The agency is responsible for programs that include government operations, courts, law enforcement, fire protection, social programs, roads, economic development, employment assistance, housing repair, irrigation, dams, Indian rights protection, implementation of land and water settlements, and management of trust assets (real estate and natural resources).22
• The Bureau of Indian Education funds and provides education to Indian tribes and Alaska Natives. The agency funds an elementary and secondary school system, institutions of higher education, and other educational programs.23
• The Bureau of Trust Funds Administration manages DOI’s trust beneficiaries’ financial assets. The agency provides fiduciary guidance, management, and leadership for Tribal Trust and Individual Indian Money accounts.24
• Departmental Offices covers diverse offices and programs. In the FY2024 appropriations law, it covered the Office of the Secretary of the Interior, Insular Affairs, the Office of the Solicitor, and the Office of Inspector General.25
• Department-Wide Programs covers varied programs and entities. In the FY2024 appropriations law, it covered DOI Wildland Fire Management,26 the Central Hazardous Materials Fund, the Energy Community Revitalization Program, the Natural Resource Damage Assessment Fund, the Working Capital Fund, and the Office of Natural Resources Revenue.27
22 For an overview of budget formulation and appropriations for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and related issues and options for Congress, see CRS Report R47723, Bureau of Indian Affairs: Overview of Budget Issues and Options for Congress, by Mariel J. Murray. The Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Bureau of Indian Education, and the Bureau of Trust Funds Administration received FY2024 appropriations under the heading Indian Affairs in the FY2024 Interior appropriations law.
23 For a discussion of Indian education programs, see CRS Report RL34205, Indian Elementary-Secondary Education: Programs, Background, and Issues, by Cassandria Dortch; and CRS In Focus IF10554, Postsecondary Education of Native Americans, by Cassandria Dortch.
24 DOI, Budget Justifications and Performance Information, Fiscal Year 2025, Bureau of Trust Funds Administration, p. BTFA-1, https://www.doi.gov/media/document/fy-2025-bureau-trust-funds-administration-formerly-ost-greenbook.
25 An overview of these entities’ responsibilities is at DOI, “Bureaus & Offices,” https://www.doi.gov/bureaus/offices.
26 For an overview of FY2024 appropriations for Wildland Fire Management, see CRS In Focus IF12398, Funding for Wildfire Management: FY2024 Appropriations for the Forest Service and Department of the Interior, by Anne A. Riddle. For an overview of Wildland Fire Management appropriations in recent years, see CRS Report R46583, Federal Wildfire Management: Ten-Year Funding Trends and Issues (FY2011-FY2020), by Anne A. Riddle.
27 Descriptions of these programs are on the DOI website as follows. For DOI Wildland Fire Management, see https://www.doi.gov/wildlandfire. For the Central Hazardous Materials Fund, see https://www.doi.gov/oepc/central- hazardous-materials-fund-chf. For the Energy Community Revitalization Program and the Working Capital Fund, see DOI, Budget Justifications and Performance Information, Fiscal Year 2025, Office of the Secretary, Departmentwide Programs, https://www.doi.gov/media/document/fy-2025-office-secretary-department-wide-programs-greenbook. For the Natural Resource Damage Assessment Fund, see DOI, Budget Justifications and Performance Information, Fiscal Year 2025, Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration Program, https://www.doi.gov/media/document/fy- 2025-natural-resource-damage-assessment-and-restoration-program-greenbook. For the Office of Natural Resources Revenue, see CRS In Focus IF12782, Offshore Energy Agency Appropriations, FY2025, by Laura B. Comay, and https://www.onrr.gov/. For FY2025, the President’s request also sought funding through this account for the Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) Program, although the FY2024 appropriations law included PILT funding under a general provision. For information on this program, see CRS Report R46260, The Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) Program: An Overview, by Carol Hardy Vincent, and DOI, Budget Justifications and Performance Information, Fiscal Year 2025, Office of the Secretary, Departmentwide Programs, https://www.doi.gov/media/document/fy-2025-office- secretary-department-wide-programs-greenbook.
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Title II. Environmental Protection Agency
EPA administers various environmental statutes that have an express or general objective to protect human health and the environment.28 Primary responsibilities include the implementation of federal statutes regulating air quality, water quality, drinking water safety, pesticides, toxic substances, management and disposal of solid and hazardous wastes, and cleanup of environmental contamination. EPA awards grants to assist states and local governments in implementing federal law and complying with federal requirements to control pollution. The agency also administers programs that provide financial assistance for public wastewater and drinking water infrastructure projects.29
Title III. Related Agencies
In FY2024, Title III of the Interior bill funded about two dozen agencies, organizations, and other entities collectively referred to as the related agencies. Among the related agencies funded in the Interior bill, roughly 95% of the funding typically is provided to the following:
• The Forest Service in the Department of Agriculture manages 193 million acres of federal land within the National Forest System—consisting of national forests, national grasslands, and other areas—in 43 states, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. It also provides technical and financial assistance to states, tribes, and private forest landowners and conducts research on sustaining forest resources for future generations.30
• The Indian Health Service in the Department of Health and Human Services provides medical and environmental health services for approximately 2.8 million American Indians and Alaska Natives. Health care is provided through a system of more than 600 hospitals, clinics, and health stations on or near Indian reservations. The agency, tribes and tribal organizations, and urban Indian organizations operate these facilities and programs.31
• The Smithsonian Institution is a museum, education, and research complex consisting of 21 museums, the National Zoological Park (National Zoo), and 14 education and research centers, some located in other countries. Established by federal legislation in 1846 with the acceptance of a trust donation by the institution’s namesake benefactor, the Smithsonian is funded by both federal appropriations and a private trust.32
28 The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has no organic statute establishing an overall mission.
29 For an overview of FY2025 appropriations for EPA, see CRS In Focus IF12711, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Appropriations: FY2025 President’s Budget Request, by Angela C. Jones.
30 For an overview of Forest Service land management, see CRS Report R43872, National Forest System Management: Overview and Issues for Congress, by Anne A. Riddle. For an overview of FY2024 appropriations for the Forest Service, see CRS In Focus IF12396, Forest Service: FY2024 Appropriations, by Anne A. Riddle.
31 Department of Health and Human Services, Indian Health Service, Justification of Estimates for Appropriations Committees, Fiscal Year 2025, p. CJ-2, https://www.ihs.gov/sites/ofa/themes/responsive2017/display_objects/ documents/FY-2025-IHS-CJ030824.pdf. For additional information on the agency, see CRS Report R43330, The Indian Health Service (IHS): An Overview, by Elayne J. Heisler.
32 For an overview of the Smithsonian Institution, especially issues related to the siting, costs, and other topics related to the establishment of new museums, see CRS Report R44370, Smithsonian Institution Museums: Selected Issues for Congress, by R. Eric Petersen. For an overview of proposed legislation to authorize new facilities, relationships, or programming within the Smithsonian Institution in the 118th Congress, see CRS In Focus IF12719, Smithsonian Institution: Selected Legislation, 118th Congress, by R. Eric Petersen.
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• The National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities make up the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities. The National Endowment for the Arts is a major federal source of support for all arts disciplines. Since 1965, it has provided $5.6 billion in support of arts and awarded more than 158,000 grants, which have been distributed to all states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories. The National Endowment for the Humanities generally supports grants for humanities education, research, preservation, and public humanities programs; creation of regional humanities centers; and development of humanities programs under the jurisdiction of state humanities councils. It also supports a Challenge Grant program to stimulate and match private donations in support of humanities institutions. Since 1965, it has awarded over $6.4 billion in funding for more than 70,000 projects in all states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories.33
Table 1. Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies:
FY2024-FY2025 Appropriations
(in thousands of dollars)
Bureau or Agency
FY2024
Enacted
FY2025 Admin.
Requested
FY2025 H. Passed H.R. 8998
FY2025 S. Comm. Reported (S. 4802)
Bureau of Land Management $1,413,133 $1,505,742 $1,297,558 $1,465,467
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service $1,722,665 $1,886,091 $1,580,982 $1,760,096
National Park Service $3,325,078 $3,576,356 $3,122,312 $3,490,542
U.S. Geological Survey $1,455,434 $1,578,298 $1,376,385 $1,481,963
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management $155,162 $187,045 $144,057 $161,043
Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement
$154,429 $181,584 $156,429 $161,985
Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement
$278,732 $304,690 $288,017 $282,430
Indian Affairsa $3,922,986 $4,452,746 $4,387,069 $4,119,711
Bureau of Indian Affairs $2,456,635 $2,820,543 $2,812,709 $2,597,611
Bureau of Indian Education $1,366,342 $1,520,926 $1,469,083 $1,421,628
Bureau of Trust Funds Administration $100,009 $111,277 $105,277 $100,472
Departmental Offices $435,938 $460,038 $348,758 $443,472
Office of the Secretary $147,418 $157,890 $67,292 $154,945
Insular Affairs $123,570 $119,122 $119,502 $115,428
Office of the Solicitor $97,950 $107,526 $93,964 $101,559
Office of Inspector General $67,000 $75,500 $68,000 $71,540
33 For an overview of FY2024 appropriations for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), see CRS Report R48255, National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities: FY2024 Appropriations, by Shannon S. Loane. The statistics presented here on NEA are on the agency’s website at https://www.arts.gov/about/what-is-the-nea and https://www.arts.gov/sites/default/files/Funding-the-Arts-7.18.22.pdf. The statistics presented here on NEH are on the agency’s website at https://www.neh.gov/ and https://www.neh.gov/ about.
Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies: Overview of FY2025 Appropriations
Congressional Research Service 9
Bureau or Agency
FY2024
Enacted
FY2025 Admin.
Requested
FY2025 H. Passed H.R. 8998
FY2025 S. Comm. Reported (S. 4802)
Department-Wide Programs $1,761,294 $1,975,414 $1,836,900 $1,871,382
Wildland Fire Management $1,463,471 $1,639,510 $1,555,086 $1,570,789
Central Hazardous Materials Fund $9,661 $10,064 $9,200 $9,801
Energy Community Revitalization Program
$4,800 $7,009 $5,000 $5,300
Natural Resource Damage Assessment Fund
$7,715 $8,037 $7,715 $7,769
Working Capital Fund $107,710 $134,807 $99,453 $108,311
Office of Natural Resources Revenue $167,937 $175,987 $160,446 $169,412
General Provisions $516,000 $483,383 $537,000 $600,000
Payments in Lieu of Taxesb $515,000 $482,383 $600,000 $600,000
Decommissioning Accountc $1,000 $1,000 $1,000 $0
Outer Continental Shelf Receipts $0 $0 $-64,000 $0
Subtotal, Title I: Department of the Interior
$15,140,851 $16,591,387 $15,075,467 $15,838,091
Subtotal, Title II: Environmental Protection Agency
$9,158,894 $10,993,653 $7,368,095 $9,286,304
Dept. of Agriculture Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment
$1,000 $1,033 $1,000 $1,000
Forest Service $8,373,324 $8,919,366 $8,425,597 $8,846,419
Indian Health Serviced $7,023,339 $3,900,174 $9,352,959 $8,806,053
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
$79,714 $83,035 $75,000 $81,614
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
$81,619 $85,020 $76,000 $83,089
Council on Environmental Quality and Office of Environmental Quality
$4,629 $4,676 $1,000 $4,746
Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board
$14,400 $17,400 $14,824 $14,634
Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocatione
$0 $3,500 $0 $0
Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development
$13,482 $13,982 $13,125 $13,642
Smithsonian Institution $1,090,500 $1,160,200 $959,715 $1,109,992
National Gallery of Art $209,240 $215,453 $188,316 $213,840
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
$44,926 $45,730 $38,000 $46,948
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
$15,000 $14,100 $12,000 $15,000
National Endowment for the Arts $207,000 $210,100 $203,895 $209,000
Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies: Overview of FY2025 Appropriations
Congressional Research Service 10
Bureau or Agency
FY2024
Enacted
FY2025 Admin.
Requested
FY2025 H. Passed H.R. 8998
FY2025 S. Comm. Reported (S. 4802)
National Endowment for the Humanities $207,000 $200,100 $203,895 $209,000
Commission of Fine Arts $3,661 $3,857 $3,600 $3,834
National Capital Arts and Cultural Affairs $5,000 $5,000 $4,950 $5,000
Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
$8,585 $9,544 $8,375 $8,735
National Capital Planning Commission $8,750 $8,849 $8,700 $8,849
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum $65,231 $74,000 $72,231 $66,331
Presidio Trust $90,000 $45,000 $0 $45,000
U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission $15,000 $100,000 $15,000 $15,250
Subtotal, Title III: Related Agencies $17,561,400 $15,120,119 $19,678,182 $19,807,976
Subtotal, Title IV: General Provisionsf -$534,000 $0 $-55,000 $0
Total Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
$41,327,145 $42,705,159 $42,066,744 $44,932,371
Source: Prepared by CRS with data from the House and Senate Appropriations Committees. Notes: Enacted appropriations for FY2024 were contained in in P.L. 118-42, Division E. House-passed appropriations were included in H.R. 8998, passed by the House on July 24, 2024. Senate committee-reported appropriations were included in S. 4802, reported by the Senate Appropriations Committee on July 25, 2024, together with (S.Rept. 118-201). In general, amounts reflected in this table represent regular annual appropriations for the pertinent fiscal year (FY2024 or FY2025), rescissions of prior year appropriations, and certain advance appropriations for the Indian Health Service (in Title III). Amounts generally exclude emergency supplemental appropriations; advance and emergency advance appropriations (e.g., in Division J, Appropriations, of P.L. 117-58, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act); and mandatory appropriations under authorizing statutes, such as under P.L. 116-152, the Great American Outdoors Act, which provided mandatory appropriations for the Land and Water Conservation Fund and deferred maintenance of federal land management agencies. a. This row shows total funding for the listed entities. The FY2024 law and the FY2025 Administration’s request, House-passed bill, and Senate committee-reported bill included funds for the Bureau of Trust Funds Administration. In contrast, in FY2023, appropriations were provided to the Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians.
b. The FY2025 request for the Payments in Lieu of Taxes Program ($482.4 million) was included under Department-Wide Programs. For easier comparison, these appropriations are shown in this table under General Provisions.
c. The $1.0 million in the FY2024 law, FY2025 Administration’s request, and FY2025 House-passed bill was included for offshore decommissioning work.
d. Amounts in this row reflect advance appropriations as follows. The FY2024 enacted total included $5.19 billion in advance appropriations for FY2025. The FY2025 request did not include advance appropriations for FY2026. The FY2025 House-passed total included $5.98 billion in advance appropriations for FY2026. The FY2025 Senate committee-reported total included $5.46 billion in advance appropriations for FY2026.
e. The FY2025 request reflected new funding of $3.5 million. The FY2024 enacted, FY2025 House-passed, and FY2025 Senate committee-reported amounts reflected varying levels of appropriations from unobligated balances of funding.
f. The FY2024 enacted amount reflected rescissions of unobligated balances for specified agencies under three sections of Title IV of the law. They pertained to the Indian Health Service and discretionary appropriations from the Land and Water Conservation Fund for the National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management. The FY2025 House-passed amount reflected a rescission for the Presidio Trust.
Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies: Overview of FY2025 Appropriations
Congressional Research Service 11
Author Information
Carol Hardy Vincent Specialist in Natural Resources Policy
Key Policy Staff
Area of Expertise Name
Interior Appropriations, coordinator Carol Hardy Vincent
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry Jerry H. Yen
Bureau of Indian Affairs Mariel J. Murray
Bureau of Indian Education Cassandria Dortch
Bureau of Land Management Carol Hardy Vincent
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Laura B. Comay
Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement Laura B. Comay
Environmental Protection Agency Angela C. Jones
Forest Service Anne A. Riddle
Indian Health Service Elayne J. Heisler
Land and Water Conservation Fund Carol Hardy Vincent
Office of Insular Affairs R. Sam Garrett
Office of Natural Resources Revenue Laura B. Comay
Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement Lance N. Larson
National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities
Shannon S. Loane
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (Superfund authorities)
Jerry H. Yen
National Park Service Laura B. Comay
Payments in Lieu of Taxes Carol Hardy Vincent
Smithsonian Institution Shannon S. Loane
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Eric P. Nardi
U.S. Geological Survey Anna E. Normand
Wildland Fire Management Alicyn R. Gitlin
Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies: Overview of FY2025 Appropriations
Congressional Research Service R48267 · VERSION 2 · UPDATED 12
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