Sponsors (2)
The bill provides targeted funding and tools to strengthen invasive-species response around National Wildlife Refuges—improving detection, coordination, and transparency—while imposing modest federal costs, potential burdens on adjacent private landowners, and risks to long-term program sustainability if future funding or cooperation falls short.
Federal, state, tribal, and local land managers (and nearby communities) will get funded regional invasive-species response teams and equipment to detect and control invasions on and around National Wildlife Refuges.
State and local agencies can receive financial and technical assistance (grants, contracts, cooperative agreements) to carry out prevention, detection, and control activities for invasive species.
Improved early detection and standardized reporting across the Department of the Interior and national platforms will speed responses and is likely to reduce longer-term control costs for jurisdictions and taxpayers.
Taxpayers face up to $75 million in authorized spending over five years (FY2026–2030), which could displace other budget priorities if fully appropriated.
Sustaining operations beyond the authorization period is uncertain, creating a risk that regional teams and capabilities could lapse after FY2030 and require additional future funding.
Private landowners adjacent to refuges may face coordination requests or on/near-land operations that impose time, access, or cost burdens.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Creates a regional strike‑team program for early detection and rapid response to invasive species on and near refuges and authorizes $15M/year for 2026–2030.
Introduced June 27, 2025 by Ed Case · Last progress June 27, 2025
Authorizes the Department of the Interior, through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to create a National Wildlife Refuge System Invasive Species Strike Team Program that establishes at least one regional rapid‑response invasive species strike team per Fish and Wildlife Service region. Teams will perform early detection and rapid response work—prevention, surveillance, eradication, containment, mapping, monitoring, integrated pest management, outreach and Incident Command System training—and coordinate with federal, state, tribal, local, nonprofit, and private partners. Requires shared data and taxonomy standards, use of national/regional reporting platforms, and the ability to provide financial, technical, contracting, grant, or cooperative assistance and interagency agreements when requested. The law directs public reporting on program and team performance at two and five years and authorizes $15 million per year for fiscal years 2026–2030.