U.S. bishops urge Congress to restore environmental funding

Bishop Shelton Fabre said funding for the Environmental Protection Agency and Interior Department would help protect creation, public health, and vulnerable communities.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is urging lawmakers to prioritize the environment and conservation in the budget reconciliation package being negotiated by Congress.

In a letter to leaders of the House and Senate appropriations committees, Louisville, Kentucky, Bishop Shelton J. Fabre, chair of the USCCB Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, wrote that conserving the environment is a command from God and necessary for the common good.

“In the Book of Genesis, God commands humanity ‘to cultivate and care for’ the Earth and its resources,” Fabre wrote, quoting Genesis 2:15.

He listed the environmental priorities of both Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIV and said one important way to fulfill that mission is with federal funding to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of the Interior (DOI).

Fabre encouraged the restoration of previous levels of funding after the fiscal 2026 budget decreased EPA funding by $277 million and DOI funding by $211 million. The Trump administrationʼs fiscal 2027 budget proposal called for cutting the EPA’s budget by more than half and decreasing the Interior Departmentʼs budget by nearly 13%.

Fabre said adequate funding and staffing is necessary for the agencies to fulfill their responsibilities under the National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act, Clean Air Act, and Clean Water Act, and to support certain initiatives.

“Notable initiatives from these agencies that foster care for creation and the common good include the Superfund Program to clean up toxic waste contamination; State Revolving Funds (SRF) programs that provide loans, matched by states, to upgrade aging infrastructure to improve access to clean and safe drinking water, improve the health of our nation’s rivers, lakes, and wetlands, and support economic opportunities; and programs that monitor air quality from power plants and industrial facilities, schools, and ports,” the letter said.

The bishop further expressed concerns about cuts to programs that were meant to promote clean energy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and safeguard endangered species and wilderness areas, among other things.

“Adequate funding for EPA and DOI is necessary for our nation to safeguard our God-given, life-sustaining natural resources such as water, air, lands, and wildlife,” Fabre wrote.

“These investments further promote economic opportunity and healthy environments where people live and recreate,” he added. “Congress should take care to ensure that these funds address environmental risks to God’s creation, especially for the most vulnerable amongst us.”

Fabre thanked the lawmakers for efforts to protect ecosystems and public health, ensure safe drinking water and clean air, address climate change, and support sustainable livelihoods.

“The common good requires sound stewardship of the environment and respect for the human dignity of all who share our common home,” he added.