Advocacy groups urged lawmakers Thursday to reject the Trump administration’s proposal to slash funding for conservation assistance the Agriculture Department provides farmers.
At a House Agriculture subcommittee hearing, groups said eliminating discretionary funding for conservation technical assistance — as the administration proposed for fiscal 2026 — could shut farmers out of practices that the Republican-led panel aims to promote.
“It all starts with technical assistance,” said Christopher McLeland, managing director of agriculture programs for Ducks Unlimited, as the Subcommittee on Conservation, Research and Biotechnology took testimony on conservation programs.
The proposed budget would eliminate more than $700 million in discretionary funding Congress has provided for conservation technical assistance in recent years. Some mandatory funding would be available, including through budget carryovers, the administration said.
