Sponsor
Jeff Merkley
Senator · D-OR
Senator · D-OR
The resolution seeks to restore native pollinators to protect crop yields, ecosystems, and food security for Americans, but achieving those benefits may require federal spending and regulations that create costs, operational limits, and regulatory uncertainty for farmers and landowners.
Farmers and crop producers could see improved yields and more reliable pollination, helping protect incomes for producers of over 100 crops valued at more than $18 billion annually.
Middle-class families and low-income consumers would benefit from a more stable and affordable food supply because stronger pollinator populations help maintain production of many fruits, vegetables, and nuts.
Rural communities and wildlife would gain from healthier, more biodiverse ecosystems—restored pollinators support broader ecosystem services such as soil stability, water quality, and wildlife habitat.
Taxpayers and farmers could face higher costs because implementing pollinator protection and restoration may require new federal spending, programs, or regulatory compliance expenses.
Farmers and rural landowners may have to change certain farming practices or land uses—conservation measures (e.g., habitat protections or pesticide restrictions) could impose operational costs or limit options on working lands.
Landowners near newly listed pollinator species could face regulatory uncertainty or restrictions while recovery plans are developed and implemented, affecting property use and planning decisions.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Officially recognizes the vital role of native pollinators, documents severe population declines, and warns those declines threaten food production, biodiversity, and human health.
Introduced June 18, 2025 by Jeff Merkley · Last progress June 18, 2025
Recognizes that native pollinators — including bees, butterflies and moths, birds and bats, beetles, and honey bees — are essential to U.S. agriculture and ecosystems, pollinating at least 80% of flowering plants and contributing more than $18 billion annually to crop production. States documented severe population declines and extinction risks for multiple pollinator species (for example, dramatic drops in monarch and bumble bee numbers and nearly 70 native pollinators listed as threatened or endangered) and warns that these losses threaten food webs, biodiversity, and human health.