New Proposed Budget Would Cut EPA Funding in Half
In early April, the Trump Administration released its proposed budget for fiscal year 2026 and 2027. And while certain areas of the budget, such as the military, are expected to see an increase in spending, other sectors of the government aren’t as fortunate. In fact, based on the Trump Administration’s proposed budget outline, EPA funding is expected to be reduced by 54%, from $9.14 billion to $4.16 billion. These cuts would target climate programs, environmental justice initiatives, and state enforcement grants, as well as personnel.
According to Terry Kippley, President and CEO at the Council of Producers and Distributors of Agrotechnology (CPDA), these proposed cuts to the EPA’s budget would be nothing short of disastrous for agriculture.
“EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) is already operating under significant workload and resource constraints, and further reductions would make it more difficult to deliver timely, science-based decisions that farmers and the industry depend on,” says Kippley. “We appreciate President Donald Trump’s focus on improving efficiency and addressing the backlog, but the recent third-party workforce assessment makes clear that additional resources are needed for OPP to meet demand.”
The statistics back up this assertion. According to ag industry watchers, EPA’s OPP has only approved four agricultural products for use during the past 18 months (and one of these was the re-registration of dicamba earlier this year). There are dozens more that have been awaiting approval since at least the end of 2024, say sources.
According to Anna Armstrong, U.S. Business Unit Director at SciReg, Inc. by Staphyt, a science and regulatory consulting firm, the mandated PRIA EPA decision timeline for a new biochemical is approximately 22 months, accounting for the agency’s front-end processing. However, in recent years, this timeline has stretched out much further.
“We routinely inform clients to expect a 9-to-18-month delay for new active ingredient products; or a 6-to-12-month delay for products that contain an existing active ingredient,” says Armstrong. “The delay is only increasing with time. EPA has some programs in place to help with backlogs, but backlogs still remain.
“Obviously, if the additional budget cuts occur, presumably these cuts will only negatively impact the timing of EPA reviews,” she continues. “EPA is working on implementing some efficiencies and reorganizations to help streamline its work. But it is most likely that at least in the interim, additional cuts will lead to increased review timelines at EPA.”
Kippley agrees that the proposed EPA budget cuts will negatively affect the association’s members.
“For CPDA members, [the budget cuts could mean] continued delays and less predictability in bringing products to market,” he says.
This is also likely to complicate one of CPDA’s biggest initiatives before Congress right now, the approval of the Pesticide Improvement Registration Act (PRIA) 6. The current legislation, PRIA 5, is set to expire in 2027. According to Kippley, this makes ongoing discussions to pass PRIA 6 critical to ensuring continuity for the industry.
“PRIA establishes the framework and funding for EPA to review pesticide registrations within defined timelines,” he says. “It gives companies more predictability in the regulatory process while also ensuring the agency has the resources it needs to conduct thorough scientific reviews.”
For those in the ag retail and grower communities, a cut in EPA funding would also present issues, adds Kippley. “For retailers and growers, it ultimately comes down to access to the tools they need in the field,” he says.
“Congress will determine final funding levels, and CPDA is actively engaged in the appropriations process to reinforce the need for a fully funded OPP,” he says. “It is also important for stakeholders across agriculture to engage and communicate the impact these decisions have on their operations. If we expect a gold-standard regulatory system, [the EPA] has to be resourced to function like one.”
This piece was originally featured on our sister site, CropLife. To read the original article, click here.
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