Coastal Funding Protected! Recent Federal Victories for our Coasts and Ocean

Late last week, the Trump administration signed a full-year “minibus” bill that funds key agencies supporting our nation’s coasts and ocean, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

This funding package rejects the disastrous President’s Budget for 2026, which called for a 55% cut to the EPA and the elimination of our nation’s coastal management grant programs. It’s also a far cry from the original budget drafted by the House of Representatives, which included damning bills that would have mandated new offshore oil drilling and crippled states’ ability to protect their coasts from harmful projects.

Thanks to an outcry from community members across the nation, the House and Senate redrafted and finalized bills that protected level, and at times even elevated, funding for our ocean and coasts, removed harmful provisions that would have required new offshore drilling and weakened the Coastal Zone Management Act, and included language that protects against future staffing layoffs. This bill’s passage ensures that these agencies can continue operating even if there’s another federal shutdown at the end of the week.

We’re proud to share the following victories:

• Fund the BEACH Act. Level funding secured for the EPA BEACH Act Grants Program to fund beach water quality testing programs nationwide. The Trump administration originally attempted to eliminate funding for this program!
• Fund FY26 National Ocean and Coastal Programs. Level funding secured to fund our nation’s ocean and coastal management, conservation, and research programs. This includes level funding for NOAA Coastal Zone Management, Coastal Management Grants, Sea Grant College Program, National Marine Sanctuaries, and increased funding for National Estuaries Research Reserve System.
• Fund the Border Water Infrastructure Grant Program. Level funding secured to protect funding to address the US/Mexico boundary water crisis.

For over a year, Surfrider and our national network of volunteers and coalition partners have worked closely with Congress to encourage them to protect funding for key ocean and coastal programs. Hundreds of Surfrider volunteers met directly with over 120 Congress members last spring during Surfrider’s Coastal Recreation Hill Day. Thousands of messages were sent to Congressional offices, and dozens of follow-up meetings were held to elevate the voice of the ocean and coastal recreation community. 

Read the letter Surfrider sent to all members of Congress.

While these victories are worthy of celebration, tradeoffs and major threats still loom. For instance, this minibus requires the rescinding of all final-year (“year 5”) unobligated Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds for NOAA — funds that were originally provided to enhance coastal resilience and community preparedness.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration continues to advance harmful practices like seabed mining and offshore oil drilling, conduct concerning reviews of our National Marine Monuments and Wildlife Sanctuaries, and dismantle our nation’s bedrock environmental protection policies. Currently, one of the biggest targets is the Clean Water Act. Both Congress and the Trump administration are actively attempting to roll back water pollution policies, including:

• Removing protections for many of our remaining wetlands and streams. Attempted through a recent proposed rule that would redefine and limit “Waters of the U.S.”
• Limiting which pollutants and polluters are even regulated by the Clean Water Act by passing harmful legislation, including the PERMIT Act, which already passed the House.
• Limiting who gets a say in protecting their own waterways by proposing a rule change that would prevent States and Tribes from being able to oppose or even review federal projects that threaten their waters, through the revision of Section 401 of the Clean Water Act.

These actions pose major threats to our coastal environments upstream and at the beach, as well as to our nation’s public health! Pollution prevention doesn’t just protect wildlife, it protects people — including your family, your community, and even your favorite surf break. So while Surfrider celebrates these recent victories, we continue to push back against the ongoing threats and rollbacks at the local, state, and federal levels. And we sure could use your help!

Surfrider’s influence in Congress is directly proportional to the number of constituents who are Surfrider members in a given elected official’s district. It’s exactly why memberships are so important. They don’t just support our important work around the country; they also give us the standing needed to represent the shared values and concerns of our members in the halls of Congress, and to protect our ocean, for all people.

Not a member yet? Join Surfrider today.