WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congress should invest in critical conservation programs in response to the president’s budget proposal, the National Wildlife Federation said today. The bipartisan John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act, Farm Bill, wildfire funding fix and Water Resources Development Act all show how collaborative and common-sense conservation ideas can overwhelmingly pass and lead to real benefits for wildlife, public lands, clean water and our natural resources.

“At a time when we’re seeing record megafires and drought conditions in the West, catastrophic hurricanes on our coasts and islands, severe weather and flooding inland, and numerous species facing extinction, this is the wrong time to rollback conservation and resilience programs. Now is the time to invest in collaborative conservation efforts, like those in the 2018 Farm Bill and those being debated around wildlife and natural infrastructure,” said Collin O’Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation. “While the proposed budget will be dead on arrival, we urge Congress to engage in a real, honest conservation about investing in bipartisan natural solutions.”