Congress to Examine Proposed Dramatic Budget Cuts at Interior

Why It Matters

The Trump administration's Interior Department FY 2027 budget lands before the House Natural Resources Committee on May 13, carrying a stark proposition: cut the U.S. Geological Survey by $528 million, slash National Park Service operations by roughly $736 million, and continue an agency workforce reduction that has already shed 20 percent of Interior's staff. Congress pushed back on similar cuts in the FY 2026 spending package. Now it gets another look, this time with the full scope of the FY 2027 request on the table.

The Core Proposals

The White House released its FY 2027 blueprint in early April 2026, and the Department of the Interior drew some of its sharpest cuts. The Center for Western Priorities reported the budget would reduce USGS staffing from an estimated 6,696 full-time equivalent positions in FY 2026 to 4,736 in FY 2027, a 29 percent reduction. Government Executive reported the budget would eliminate the USGS Ecosystems Mission Area.

The National Park Service faces a proposed cut of roughly $736 million, or about 20 percent of its $3.2 billion operations budget. The National Parks Conservation Association warned the reductions could affect park services heading into the summer season, with the Center for Western Priorities noting that Secretary Doug Burgum had already "fired or forced out 13,000 employees" before the FY 2027 budget is even enacted.

On wildfire, the budget proposes $3.962 billion for Wildland Fire Service Operations and an additional $2.95 billion for the Wildfire Suppression Operations Reserve Fund, while the International Association of Fire Chiefs reported it would "effectively eliminate" the State Fire Assistance and Volunteer Fire Assistance programs.

The budget also doubles down on agency reorganizations that Congress has already resisted, including a proposal to merge Forest Service and Interior Department wildfire operations into a single agency, a move the budget itself acknowledges requires congressional action.

Congress Has Already Pushed Back

The FY 2027 natural resources budget oversight hearing comes with notable precedent. When Congress passed the FY 2026 spending package, it rejected proposed cuts to the National Park Service. It required the agency to "maintain adequate staffing levels to carry out the agency's statutory obligations," according to Federal News Network. Burgum told House appropriators in April 2026 that there were "no plans for RIFs" at Interior, even as Government Executive reported the department was simultaneously offering incentives to push additional staff departures.

The Senate Appropriations Committee held a parallel hearing on April 22, 2026, at which Burgum testified on the same budget request. The House hearing on May 13 is a follow-on examination, with committee Chair Bruce Westerman presiding and Ranking Member Jared Huffman leading the Democratic side.

Energy Dominance vs. Conservation

The FY 2027 budget oversight hearing will also put the administration's "energy dominance" posture on federal lands under scrutiny. The Center for Western Priorities described the budget as proposing to shift Interior's mission "toward 'energy dominance' and giving extractive industry free rein over the nation's public lands." The Bureau of Land Management and Interior Department have both touted the One Big Beautiful Bill Act as advancing that agenda, projecting an estimated 225 additional leases in 2026 and an average of 160 additional wells drilled annually in subsequent years through royalty rate reductions.

Who's Lobbying

The FY 2027 Department of Interior budget request has drawn lobbying activity from a broad cross-section of interests. Water districts from California, Montana, and Alabama have filed disclosures referencing the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY 2027, with a focus on Bureau of Reclamation funding. The National Parks Conservation Association filed disclosures tied to NPS legislation. Multiple tribal nations, including the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, lobbied directly on FY 2027 Interior appropriations, with particular concern about Bureau of Indian Affairs and Indian Health Service funding.

On the extractive side, Black Stone Minerals LP filed on "maximizing domestic energy dominance and oil land development," while critical minerals companies including NevGold USA and North Star Manganese lobbied on mining policy and programs. The Western Urban Water Coalition was among the few organizations lobbying specifically on USGS appropriations, directly relevant to the proposed $528 million cut to the survey's budget.

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