A bipartisan Senate appropriations bill seeks to prevent the Trump administration from cutting the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) scientific research office.
Text of the appropriations bill, which advanced 26-2 on Thursday, was not immediately available.
However, a summary posted online states that the bill “requires EPA to maintain its Office of Research and Development to ensure cutting-edge research, such as research into the risks from hazardous chemicals like PFAS or contaminated water, continues.”
This bipartisan pushback comes as the Trump administration said last week that it wants to eliminate the EPA’s Office of Research and Development (ORD).
It did announce previously that it wanted to create a different science office known as the Office of Applied Science and Environmental Solutions (OASES).
OASES will be within the office of the administrator, while ORD is its own office within EPA. Critics of this restructure have warned that it creates the potential for more bias and political influence in what should be independent science.
The Trump administration has billed the changes as improving “the effectiveness and efficiency of EPA operations.”
Every year, Congress needs to pass an appropriations bill to fund the government. Doing so requires at least some degree of bipartisan consensus because of the Senate’s 60-vote threshold to clear the filibuster.
It’s not entirely clear whether this provision or any others will remain in a bill that ultimately passes, as both the House and the Senate need to agree on the legislation. However, its inclusion in the bipartisan Senate legislation shows it has a strong chance of passing.
In addition, the Senate proposal appears to reject some cuts proposed by the Trump administration. It also maintains funding levels at the National Park Service, where the Trump administration has proposed 30 percent operations and payroll cuts.
A Senate aide told The Hill that the bill includes requirements for staff to carry out the mission of the agency, but does not have an explicit minimum staffing level.
Senators rejected an amendment from Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) that would require the Interior Department, National Park Service and Forest Service to maintain 2020 staffing levels in a 15-14 party-line vote.
The EPA declined to comment.
