Sponsors (2)
The bill provides sustained funding and coordinated strike-team capacity to speed invasive-species detection and response on National Wildlife Refuges, improving habitat protection, at the cost of modest federal spending and potential administrative burdens and uneven coverage for neighboring private lands.
State, local, Tribal governments and partner nonprofits will receive predictable federal funding ($10M/year, FY2027–2033) to sustain invasive species operations, monitoring, and coordination.
Rural communities, Tribal lands, and wildlife-dependent stakeholders will see faster detection and eradication of invasive species on National Wildlife Refuges through regional strike teams, improving habitat protection and native species recovery.
Federal, state, Tribal, local, NGO, and private partners will have improved coordination that can reduce duplication, lower response costs for communities, and enable more efficient joint responses to invasions.
All taxpayers face increased federal spending from the $10M/year authorization, which could add budgetary pressure or crowd out other priorities if appropriations are constrained.
Homeowners and small-business owners on lands adjacent to refuges may get less direct support if strike teams prioritize refuge lands, unless additional agreements are requested and approved.
State and local agencies and partners could face implementation complexity coordinating across many partners and databases, which may delay responses or require extra administrative resources.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Establishes regional invasive‑species strike teams for National Wildlife Refuges and authorizes $10M/year for FY2027–2033 to support detection, rapid response, management, and coordination.
Creates a National Wildlife Refuge System Invasive Species Strike Team Program to detect, respond to, and manage high‑priority invasive species threats on or next to National Wildlife Refuge lands and waters. The Interior Department, through the Fish and Wildlife Service, must establish at least one regional strike team per FWS region, coordinate with federal, state, tribal, local, nonprofit, and private partners, and use consistent taxonomy and reporting systems. The bill authorizes $10 million annually for each fiscal year 2027–2033 to operate the program, allows the Secretary to provide financial and technical assistance and enter cooperative agreements, requires trainings and integrated pest management approaches, and mandates reports to Congress and public online reporting at two and five years after enactment.
Official title: National Wildlife Refuge System Invasive Species Strike Team Act of 2025
Introduced June 27, 2025 by Ed Case · Last progress September 15, 2026