Today’s budget request rollout reveals the Trump Administration is seeking $13.8 billion dollar in funding for the Department of the Interior (DOI) in its Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 budget. This year’s request is an increase of $900 million dollars compared with the administration’s FY20 request of $12.9 billion.

The president’s request is below the levels enacted by Congress in its FY20 Omnibus passed last year. The FY20 Omnibus provided $15.6 billion in funding to DOI about $1.8 billion above the $13.8 billion the administration is requesting for FY21.

The FY21 budget request eliminates funding for Abandoned Mine Land, National Heritage Areas, the Indian Guaranteed Loan Program, and the National Wildlife Refuge Fund. This year’s request also reduces funding for land acquisition to $8 million down from almost $30 million in the FY20 Omnibus.

Much like the FY20 request, we see cuts to wildlife conservation activities, with budget increases for programs like the Bureau of Land Management in an effort to fulfill the administration’s goal of maximizing US energy production. This year, fire suppression activities received an additional $300 million in funding.