Michael Simpson (R-ID)
Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026
H.R. 4754 · House bill Economics and Public Finance
A Republican bill with no cosponsors
Last activity — Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 175.
Cleared committee, waiting for its first floor vote
A committee approved it and it is on the calendar of the chamber it started in.
This is further than most bills get, and still no promise of a vote: the calendar is a queue, and the majority leadership decides what is called. A bill can sit here until the Congress ends.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- On Calendar
What this bill would do
The "Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026" provides funding for the Department of the Interior, the EPA, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2026. It allocates money for land management, wildlife conservation, national parks, and Indian affairs, including health and education. The bill establishes funding for disaster relief, water infrastructure, and the arts. It also contains numerous restrictions on environmental regulations, emissions standards, and the use of government funds.
Yes· 3 of 39
- Scored +10
Would Native Americans be better off under this?
Massive funding increases for Indian Health Service, Tribal water projects, and BIA/BIE programs.
- Scored +9
Would people in rural areas be better off under this?
Extensive funding for rural water, wastewater, forest management, and mining/grazing permissions.
- Scored +8
Does this invest in rural communities?
Extensive funding for rural water infrastructure, Alaska Native Villages, colonias, and abandoned mine reclamation.
The opposite· 3 of 10
- Scored -8
Does this cut the pollution that drives climate change?
Defunds the Clean Power Plan, methane fees, vehicle emission standards, and forbids the use of the social cost of carbon.
- Scored -8
Does this reduce how much oil, gas and coal is produced?
Mandates oil and gas lease sales and reinstates hardrock mineral leases while preventing land withdrawals from mining.
- Scored -5
Does this put more limits on buying or owning guns?
Prohibits funds to ban lead ammunition or tackle on Federal lands.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
- Tribal Support: Appropriates over $1.2 billion for Indian education and over $2.2 billion for Indian programs (TITLE I, Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education), along with $5,181,173,000 for Indian Health Services, including maternal health, Alzheimer's activities, and drug treatment.
- Water Infrastructure: Allocates billions in State and Tribal Assistance Grants for Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds (TITLE II, Environmental Protection Agency) and $64,634,000 for loans through the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Program Account.
- Public Safety and Fire Management: Provides $1,195,086,000 for fire preparedness and rural assistance (TITLE I, Department-Wide Programs) and $2,426,209,000 for fire presuppression, emergency suppression, and rehabilitation.
- Wildlife and Animal Welfare: Provides $144,000,000 for the wild horse and burro program (TITLE I, Bureau of Land Management), prohibits the destruction of healthy, unadopted wild horses or burros (Sec. 417), and allocates $73,812,000 for State and Tribal wildlife grants (TITLE I, United States Fish and Wildlife Service).
- Culture and History: Provides $168,900,000 for the Historic Preservation Fund, including grants for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (TITLE I, National Park Service), and $135,000,000 each for the National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities.
- Community Support: Directs the National Endowment for the Arts to prioritize projects serving underserved populations, such as urban minorities (Sec. 413).
- Waste and Environment: Requires a plan to qualify fuel from waste tires or plastic as cellulosic biofuel (Sec. 467).
- Public Access and Security: Prevents restrictions on public access to Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and Lake Eleanor Basin (Sec. 509) and prohibits buying certain technology from companies linked to the People's Republic of China (Sec. 510).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- Environmental Regulation Blocks: Prohibits funds for enforcing endangered species rules for the wolverine, northern long-eared bat, and lesser prairie-chicken (Sec. 126, 127, 129), as well as EPA rules regarding greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles, the "Clean Power Plan," and the "Good Neighbor Plan" (Sec. 455, 456, 458, 459).
- Air and Water Quality: Blocks enforcement of air quality standards for particulate matter (Sec. 470), ozone standards in certain Michigan counties (Sec. 505), and risk assessments for PFOA and PFOS in sewage sludge (Sec. 507).
- Climate and Emissions: Forbids the use of the "social cost of carbon" in agency actions (Sec. 446) and blocks the enforcement of charges on methane emissions (Sec. 468).
- Tribal Funding Reductions: Allows the Secretary of the Interior to redistribute Tribal Priority Allocation funds, potentially reducing some Tribes' funding by up to 10 percent (Sec. 105).
- Resource and Land Use: Mandates a minimum number of oil and gas lease sales in specific regions (Sec. 141, 143) and allows more "mill site" claims for mineral development on public lands (Sec. 443).
- Social and Health Restrictions: Prohibits funds for diversity, equity, and inclusion training or Critical Race Theory (Sec. 440, 441), and prevents the EPA from changing pesticide labels if they differ from specific health assessments (Sec. 453).
- Wildlife and Access Restrictions: Limits the government's ability to prohibit lead ammunition on Federal lands (Sec. 125) and stops the enforcement of the Land Protection Plan for the Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge (Sec. 503).
- Housing Restrictions: Prohibits the National Park Service from providing housing to aliens without lawful immigration status (Sec. 139).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would Native Americans be better off under this? — Massive funding increases for Indian Health Service, Tribal water projects, and BIA/BIE programs. Would people in rural areas be better off under this? — Extensive funding for rural water, wastewater, forest management, and mining/grazing permissions. Would gun owners be better off under this? — Protects the use of lead ammunition and access to federal lands for recreational shooting. Would business owners be better off under this? — Reduces regulatory compliance costs and increases opportunities for oil, gas, and mineral leasing. Would Hispanic Americans be better off under this? — Specific funding for water infrastructure in colonias along the US-Mexico border. Would farmers be better off under this? — Provides credits for conservation practices for grazing associations and supports public land grazing. Would households on low incomes be better off under this? — Provides subsidies for water infrastructure in persistent poverty counties and funding for tribal welfare. Would people with disabilities be better off under this? — Includes provisions to support disabled children under the IDEA. Would people over 65 be better off under this? — Authorizes grants for the Experienced Services Program and the Older Americans Act. Would students be better off under this? — Significant funding for Indian education programs and EPA student contracts. Would Black Americans be better off under this? — Provides grants for HBCUs and funding for underserved urban minority populations. Would children be better off under this? — Provides significant funding for Indian education and health, though offset by reductions in environmental health enforcement. Would women be better off under this? — Funding for the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum. Would people in their twenties and thirties be better off under this? — Funds contracts for temporary personal services of students and recent graduates in EPA offices.
- Social Issues And Justice
- Does this protect the freedom to practise a religion? — Contains strong protections against discriminatory action based on sincerely held religious beliefs regarding marriage. Does this protect the right to own guns? — Protects the use of lead ammunition and prohibits blocking access to federal lands for recreational shooting. Is this likely to lift people out of poverty? — Provides significant funding for tribal welfare and allocates CERCLA assistance specifically for persistent poverty counties. Does this narrow racial gaps in how people are treated? — Directs significant funding to underserved Native American communities and persistent poverty counties. Does this make housing cost less? — Appropriates funds for construction and improvement of buildings and utilities in Indian programs. Does this tighten control of the border? — Allocates $45 million for high priority water and wastewater facilities in the US-Mexico border area. Does this expand the rights of people with disabilities? — Provides for the collection of health information for disabled children under the IDEA. Does this put more limits on buying or owning guns? — Prohibits funds to ban lead ammunition or tackle on Federal lands. Does this make it easier for immigrants already here to become citizens? — Prohibits National Park Service housing for aliens without lawful immigration status.
- Healthcare
- Does this make health care easier to get in general? — Significantly increases funding for Indian Health Service facilities and services. Does this make mental health care easier to get? — Provides significant funding for alcohol and drug treatment services specifically for Native American populations. Does this do more about addiction and overdose deaths? — Includes targeted funding for Opioid Prevention, Treatment and Recovery Services within the IHS. Does this put more money into medical research? — Provides funding for USGS and NIH research, though this is offset by prohibiting funding for EPA's IRIS program.
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Does this invest in rural communities? — Extensive funding for rural water infrastructure, Alaska Native Villages, colonias, and abandoned mine reclamation. Does this improve help for people hit by a disaster? — Provides significant funding for wildland fire suppression and emergency response operations. Does this repair or build roads and bridges? — Allocates billions for water infrastructure grants and funds for BIA and forest road maintenance. Is this likely to lower the price at the pump? — Increasing oil and gas leasing and reducing regulatory costs may increase supply and lower prices. Does this better protect public land such as parks and forests? — Provides funding for BLM and NPS management, though it shifts focus toward resource extraction and limits land withdrawals. Does this put more money into wind, solar and other renewable power? — Promotes forest biomass as a renewable energy source, despite restrictions on other projects like Lava Ridge Wind. Does this cut the pollution that drives climate change? — Defunds the Clean Power Plan, methane fees, vehicle emission standards, and forbids the use of the social cost of carbon. Does this reduce how much oil, gas and coal is produced? — Mandates oil and gas lease sales and reinstates hardrock mineral leases while preventing land withdrawals from mining. Does this better protect air, water and wildlife? — Provides funding for water pollution and cleanup, but this is heavily countered by blocking numerous EPA air/water quality standards and endangered species rules.
- National Security And Foreign Policy
- Does this better protect the country from computer attacks? — Allocates funds for cybersecurity within the Department's working capital fund and Forest Service IT requirements. Does this send more money or help to other countries? — Provides funding for forestry, wildland fire management, and natural resource activities in foreign countries.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see? — Requires agencies to post reports on public websites and promotes transparency in consent decrees. Does this leave more decisions to the states? — Limits federal ability to ban lead ammunition unless consistent with state law and utilizes State Revolving Funds for distribution. Does this give the federal government more power? — Significantly restricts federal agencies' (EPA, BLM) ability to implement and enforce rules.
- Economy And Finance
- Does this make it easier to run a small business? — Includes specific preferences for small/micro-businesses in contracts and supports small commercial treatment works. Is this likely to create jobs? — Funding for infrastructure, water projects, and the reinstatement of mineral leases supports employment in construction and mining sectors. Is this likely to grow the economy? — Investment in infrastructure and the reduction of regulatory burdens on energy and mining sectors support economic activity. Does this give people more protection from unfair business practices? — Prohibiting the use of health and risk assessments like IRIS may reduce available consumer safety data. Does this make the government pay for what it commits to? — Increases federal spending through significant appropriations. Does this reduce what the federal government owes? — The bill allocates billions in new spending across multiple agencies. Does this reduce what the federal government spends? — While it provides extensive appropriations, it also contains numerous riders prohibiting funds for regulatory enforcement.
- Education And Technology
- Does this put more money into scientific research? — Funds USGS, Forest, and Rangeland research, but blocks funding for EPA risk assessments and the IRIS program.
- 7/24/2025
- The House Committee on Appropriations reported an original measure, H. Rept. 119-215, by Mr. Simpson.
- Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 175.
- Bill introduced.
4 bills Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
- 119-HR-1366: Mining Regulatory Clarity Act
- 119-HR-6938: Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; and Interior and Environment Appropriations Act, 2026
- 119-S-544: Mining Regulatory Clarity Act
- 119-S-2431: Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026