With a B-2 stealth bomber flying overhead and smiling Republican lawmakers flanking him, President Trump signed his One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) into law on July 4, culminating several frenzied weeks of negotiations and all-night debates on Capitol Hill.
With typical Trumpian understatement, the President called it “the biggest bill of its type in history. We’ve never had anything like that before.” While that is a matter of debate, it is certainly big. It paves the way for more than $4.5 trillion in tax cut extensions and new temporary tax cuts plus trillions of dollars of spending cuts, while adding as much as $3.4 trillion to the national debt.
As ACRASphere reported last week, the bill contains many provisions that could impact CRM firms, albeit indirectly in many cases.
One thing the bill does not do is establish funding levels for all government programs for the next fiscal year. And so Congress is getting to work on the appropriations bills for fiscal year 2026, which starts October 1.
The outlook for completing those bills on time is not good: Congress has rarely met its deadline in recent years, and it failed to complete any of the appropriations bills for the current fiscal year, opting instead for a “continuing resolution” that carried over funding levels from the previous year.
With archconservatives still angry about the OBBB’s impact on the deficit – and Democrats angry about the White House’s efforts to claw back funding already approved by Congress – the odds of a government shutdown this fall are inching up. And a government shutdown won’t be accompanied by any celebratory flyovers.
Funding Update: FY25 Monies Released as FY26 Debate Heats Up
Regardless of how or when Congress gets its appropriations work done, ACRA and the preservation community continue to push to make sure they provide robust funding for the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) and other top priorities.
In that vein, the preservation community received good, albeit belated, news this month as the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) green-lit funding to SHPOs and THPOs for the current fiscal year, ending a three-month delay that threatened the ability of preservation offices to function. Advocacy by ACRA members, SHPOs, THPOs and others helped make this possible.
Attention now turns to the next fiscal year. As the House and Senate Appropriations Committees begin tackling funding bills, ACRA has joined with other preservation groups in urging the committees to provide robust HPF funding for next year and reauthorize the HPF so that receipts from offshore drilling royalties can be deposited into the Fund. “Insufficient HPF funding for FY26 will decimate the statutory work of SHPOs and THPOs, jeopardize billions in investment through the slowing or halting of preservation projects, discourage investment and hinder economic growth, and result in negative and irreversible impacts to historic landmarks and cultural and archaeological sites,” the letter notes.
You can help ensure Congress invests in preservation: Send a message to your representatives in support of the HPF.
Supreme Court Allows Agency RIFs to Proceed
The Supreme Court on Tuesday lifted a lower court order that blocked the administration’s plans to impose large-scale reductions-in-force (RIFs) at 19 federal departments and agencies, including the Department of the Interior. The order allows the RIFs to proceed even as the legal challenges to them move forward.
In a brief unsigned opinion, the Court said that the injunction issued by a district court was based on its view that the administration’s plans are unlawful. But, the Court wrote, the “government is likely to succeed on its argument that” its actions are lawful.
The order affects the Departments of Commerce, Agriculture, Energy, HHS, HUD, Interior, Labor, State, Treasury, Transportation, and Veterans Affairs as well as AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, EPA, GSA, and other independent agencies.
Agencies Plan Changes to NEPA Regulations
A host of federal agencies are amending their NEPA regulations, following the rescinding of the White House Council on Environmental Quality’s (CEQ) NEPA rules.
Among the agencies that have announced interim final rules or notices that change their regulations are the Departments of Interior, Energy, Agriculture, Transportation, and Commerce, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, both for Army Permits and Civil Works programs.
While each agency’s deadline for public comments differs, most are due by the end of July. ACRA is reviewing the proposals to assess their impacts on Section 106.
Help Show Your Elected Officials That #HistoryMatters
As recent developments show, the need to educate policymakers about the benefits of CRM is as great as ever. One of the best ways to accomplish this is with site visits and constituent meetings in their local offices.
This summer ACRA, SAA and SHA are bringing back our joint campaign to bring senators and representatives to project sites during the upcoming August congressional recess. In representing our community before Congress, we deliver the message of how CRM preserves our shared cultural heritage for present and future generations, and how this preservation of our past enriches local communities and creates economic benefits.
To learn more about how you can join the campaign, watch a recording of our May 8 HistoryMatters webinar, read the toolkit, and don’t hesitate to contact us at info@acra-crm.org with any questions.