Despite Shutdown’s End, Damage to Bay Restoration Could Linger

With legislation to end the government shutdown and fund the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) through fiscal year 2026, government agencies and employees key to saving the Bay can finally get back to work.  

The record-breaking six-week shutdown forced them to set aside important efforts like monitoring pollution levels, conducting research on challenges to Bay restoration, and funding conservation projects that promote clean water, healthy soil, and restore fish and wildlife habitat. 

USDA is among a handful of agencies that will get final spending plans for fiscal 2026, which began October 1. That means experts with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) can now get back in the field helping farmers implement projects that reduce pollution to rivers and streams that flow into the Chesapeake Bay.  

But they’ll have a smaller budget than last year. The bill cuts funding for NRCS work by $65 million to $850 million from $915 million. But it does provide $2 million in grant funds to processors of invasive wild-caught blue catfish. These voracious predators are wreaking havoc on native species like blue crabs and striped bass. Grants to process them for commercial sale can help reduce their numbers and the damage they’re doing to the Bay ecosystem. 

The shutdown-ending bill will continue to fund the rest of the government agencies, including EPA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Fish and Wildlife Service, at fiscal 2025 levels through January 30.  

That gives Congress less than 12 weeks to finish the remaining nine appropriations bills. Otherwise, agencies and programs covered by bills Congress fails to pass by the end of January will be forced to shut down again. 

Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) Senior Policy Director Keisha Sedlacek released the following statement: 

“Now that this record-breaking shutdown is over, agencies and employees vital to saving the Bay can get back to this important work. 

“The shutdown took a serious toll on Bay recovery efforts that includes six weeks of stalled conservation projects, farmers waiting to be reimbursed, crucial water quality data not being collected, and pollution inspectors sidelined.

“We’re not out of the woods yet. This deal only offers a 12-week reprieve for key Bay restoration agencies like EPA, NOAA, and USGS. There’s no time to waste. Congress must finish its job and negotiate fiscal 2026 budgets for all agencies. 

“More importantly, congressional leaders and the president must break this destructive cycle of government shutdowns before the damage they do to the Bay and its waterways becomes irreversible.”