Congress passes spending bill for USDA conservation

Several key conservation programs in the U.S. Department of Agriculture have been funded in appropriations language that passed with the recent spending bill.

The continuing resolution (H.R. 5371) passed through Congress after a record 44-day shutdown. While the administration proposed significant cuts to, or complete elimination of, funding for many of these programs, Congress has provided relatively stable appropriations for the 2026 fiscal year compared to the previous fiscal year.

The NRCS Conservation Technical Assistance Program, which connects private landowners with opportunities to improve the health of their lands while conserving wildlife and their habitats, was one program slated for funding elimination in the President’s FY2026 budget request. It is now being funded, though final FY2026 appropriations for the program were $697.6 million compared to the $776.5 million at FY2025 levels.

The administration had also proposed to eliminate funding for the Renewable Resources Extension Act, which funds extension forestry and natural resource activities at land grant universities. But the program received $4 million in FY2026 appropriations, level with funding the previous fiscal year.

As we’ve come to see over the past year, the passage of appropriations bills is just part of the federal conservation program funding puzzle. When federal dollars are appropriated but fail to reach their intended programs, the issue at hand is often one of impoundment—the effective withholding of congressionally-approved dollars from obligation or expenditure.

For conservation professionals, even when policy wins result in an appropriation, real ecological outcomes still depend on timely obligation, allocation, and dispersal of funding. If those steps are delayed—or funds are held back for policy, budgetary, or administrative reasons—the gap between legislative intent and field implementation widens, meaning stewardship targets slip, partnerships stall, and measurable conservation progress remains unrealized.

Earlier this year, TWS chapters, sections and working groups identified conservation funding as the most important policy priority for The Wildlife Society. TWS is committed to championing diverse, sustainable funding sources for wildlife conservation. Visit the Conservation Affairs Network Policy Toolkit to learn more about using your voice to engage with the U.S. congressional appropriations process.