FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 21, 2026
CONTACT:
Aaron Bharucha, Public Relations Associate
(509) 429-1699 and epn-press@environmentalprotectionnetwork.org
House FY27 EPA Funding Bill Would Cut Public Health Protections When Communities Need More Support, Not Less
EPN warns bill would leave EPA underfunded, fail to restore science and enforcement capacity, and continue harmful policy riders that block health protections
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The House Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee voted today to advance its draft FY27 appropriations bill for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on a 7-5 vote. The House bill would cut EPA below current funding levels even as communities across the country face growing costs from aging water infrastructure, PFAS contamination, lead, toxic chemicals, extreme weather, and contaminated-site cleanup. At a time when EPA has lost thousands of staff, closed its independent research office, and seen enforcement activity decline, Congress should be restoring EPA’s capacity to protect public health, not locking in more cuts.
In response to the draft bill, the Environmental Protection Network released the following statement:
“This bill treats EPA’s public health mission like an optional expense, not a basic safeguard families depend on,” said Marc Boom, Senior Director of Public Affairs at the Environmental Protection Network. “EPA is already down roughly a quarter of its workforce while needed health protections are being delayed or weakened. This proposal would mean fewer scientists to evaluate toxic chemicals, fewer inspectors to find serious violations, fewer staff to support safe drinking water programs, and slower cleanups at contaminated sites. Congress should reject this bill, not shift more risk and responsibility onto families and communities already being asked to manage too much pollution on their own.”
The draft bill would provide roughly $7 billion for EPA, nearly $1.8 billion below FY26 enacted levels and far short of the at least $12 billion EPN has called for to restore EPA’s core capacity. Among the major cuts:
- Science & Technology would be funded at $527.94 million, about $216 million below FY26 enacted levels, a roughly 29% cut.
- Environmental Programs & Management would be funded at $2.29 billion, about $821 million below FY26 enacted levels, a roughly 26% cut.
- State and Tribal Assistance Grants would be funded at $3.70 billion, about $713 million below FY26 enacted levels, a roughly 16% cut.
- The Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds would be cut by roughly $662 million combined, a roughly 24% cut.
These cuts would mean less support for the agencies and water systems communities rely on to protect clean air, safe drinking water, wastewater infrastructure, and pollution-control programs.
The bill also fails to include the accountability measures needed to ensure EPA leadership uses appropriated funds as Congress intended. EPN has urged Congress to require public reporting on whether staffing, funding, workforce planning, and reorganizations are impairing EPA’s ability to enforce the law, complete scientific assessments, support state and tribal implementation, oversee drinking water protections, and assist communities facing disproportionate pollution burdens. The bill also continues harmful policy riders that would restrict EPA’s ability to follow the science and protect people’s health.
“Rejecting the draconian cuts President Trump proposed is not enough,” Boom said. “Congress should fund EPA at the levels needed to carry out the responsibilities lawmakers have assigned it. And if Congress is serious about oversight, the final FY27 bill should include clear reporting requirements so lawmakers and the public can see whether EPA is spending public dollars responsibly, implementing programs transparently, and delivering measurable improvements for communities.”
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ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION NETWORK
The Environmental Protection Network is a nonpartisan organization comprising more than 750 former EPA scientists, toxicologists, chemists, biologists, engineers, and policy analysts — many of whom spent decades as career experts inside the agency. They assessed cancer and developmental risks, studied links between pollution and fertility and chronic disease, investigated contaminated communities, and brought enforcement actions to hold corporate polluters accountable. EPN was founded in 2017 to serve as an independent voice promoting science-based policies that protect Americans’ health.