Senate panel presses Interior nominees on screwworm response, conservation funding and staffing cuts

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Senate panel questions Interior nominees

Highlights

Senator Heinrich highlights 12 new screwworm infestations in the continental U.S., raising concerns about under-detection due to limited public lands staffing.
Proposed National Park Service cuts could reduce staffing by up to 25% in FY27, while seasonal employment increases from 5,000 to 6,000 positions and extends to nine months.
Key international conservation accounts remain stalled, with the administration aiming to resolve funding disbursements by the end of the week or next, per nominee Kevin Lilly.

Hearing scrutiny focuses on disease control and funding

As reported by Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Democratic News, Ranking Member Martin Heinrich questions Trump nominees Kevin Lilly and William Hague on the administration's approach to New World screwworm outbreaks, stalled international conservation accounts and related Interior priorities.

Heinrich says 12 new world screwworm infestations are now reported in the continental U.S. and warns undetected cases in wildlife populations may be more widespread because of limited staffing on public lands, parks and wildlife refuges. Lilly says the issue is primarily handled by the Department of Agriculture, but adds that the Fish and Wildlife Service can collaborate through technology, including drones and algorithms, to identify vulnerable species and hotspot locations for proactive mitigation.

On international conservation funding, Heinrich says key accounts have been stalled and asks for a realistic timeline to move the money. Lilly says the administration is moving in a positive direction and aims to have a solution by the end of the week, or by the end of the following week if needed.

Hague, Trump's nominee for assistant secretary for insular and international affairs, describes his role as largely procedural and supportive in helping the department stay aligned across international work, including participation in CITES meetings. Heinrich argues that natural resource management in parts of Africa carries national security implications and says the U.S. risks strategic setbacks when it fails to meet its conservation obligations.

Staffing cuts and mining plans face local support concerns

Heinrich also presses Lilly on National Park Service staffing after recent reductions and a proposal that could cut staffing by as much as 25% in the current FY27 budget. Lilly says local hiring can strengthen parks, nearby gateway communities and tribal partners, and adds that seasonal hiring rises from 5,000 to 6,000 positions while the employment period extends from six months to nine months.

Lilly says local hiring is intended to address cases where parks employ few or no people from surrounding communities. He presents that approach as a way to ease cumbersome federal hiring processes while improving operational coverage at park sites.

On deep sea mining, Hague says territorial leaders are weighing possible economic benefits against concerns about ocean impacts and that much remains unknown about the practice. Heinrich responds that testimony from territories shows serious concern and says local support remains essential for any successful resource development effort.

Heinrich also asks Hague for an accounting of how $1.6 million appropriated in fiscal year 2026 for the Office of Insular Affairs is being spent, including personnel, grants, travel and administrative expenses. Hague says he cannot provide details immediately, but says positions in the territories are being filled slowly because of shutdowns, hiring freezes and administrative delays, with some jobs already posted and senior leadership hires targeted first.

In our earlier coverage of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce’s packed week of hearings and markups, we outlined its agenda spanning domestic critical mineral recovery and recycling, electricity and pipeline safety, Medicaid fraud oversight, and healthcare price transparency. We also noted lawmakers’ growing focus on grid oversight and cost allocation, including proposals to shift certain infrastructure upgrade costs away from households and small businesses.

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