What are appropriations?

Appropriations are the annual decisions Congress makes about how federal agencies and programs are funded. Each year, Congress decides how much money agencies receive and often provides direction on how that money should be used.

Congress must pass appropriations legislation to fund the government before October 1, the start of the federal fiscal year, in order to keep the government running. These funding decisions can have a significant impact on clean energy deployment, climate research, forest management, agency staffing, and other climate-related priorities. Beginning in 2025, we started speaking up to Congress during this process to help hold the line on climate-related funding, staffing and research.

Why is CCL making this ask?

As CCL has advocated for climate-friendly forestry legislation in recent years, we have also kept a close eye on proposed changes to the structure and funding of the U.S. Forest Service. We are concerned changes may impede the Forest Service to have sufficient resources, personnel, and research capacity needed to prepare for and respond to increasingly severe wildfire seasons and to implement legislation like the Save Our Sequoias Act and the Fix Our Forests Act, which we are working hard to advance through Congress. 

How will funding the U.S. Forest Service impact wildfires?

Wildfires threaten communities, public health, infrastructure, local economies, and public lands across the country. Effective wildfire management depends on investments in forest restoration, hazardous fuels reduction, scientific research, workforce capacity, and community preparedness. These investments can also reduce emissions from catastrophic wildfires while protecting forests and communities.

At a time when many parts of the Forest Service already face staffing challenges, recent agency reorganization efforts have raised questions about operational readiness. Proposed consolidation of wildfire management functions across federal agencies has also brought concern about research capacity heading into a potentially severe fire season.

When will the budget be finalized?

The deadline to fund the government is at the end of January so that is the expected deadline for the appropriations process to conclude. It may seem like a long timeline, but Congress has already started to discuss FY27 spending. Which means we need to make our voices heard early on in the process.

Will Congress listen to me?

Yes! The idea that elected representatives don’t listen to their constituents is not true. In reality, congressional staffers take every call and voicemail and read every email their office receives and pass these onto their member of Congress in regular briefings. Congress works for you, and they want to know what their constituents care about. You may receive a generic email in response, but your message was still received loud and clear.

How else can I help?

You only need to email your representative and senators one time each using our tool.  Then, share this page with any friends, family and coworkers who want to help keep America’s forests strong and healthy!