Quick look at the FY20 budget request from the White House

[Fern Davies]

This news and analysis are provided by the Ornithological Council, a consortium supported by 11 ornithological societies. Join or renew your membership in your ornithological society if you value the services these societies provide to you, including OrnithologyExchange and the Ornithological Council.

Overall, Department of the Interior would see a loss of 13.4%. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would be cut by 85.5 million.

Interestingly, the MigBird permits budget would get an increase of $288k - and they certainly are in desperate need of increasing staffing levels. However, this proposal does not propose a staffing increase. Apparently, the additional funding is needed to "improve and modernize the Service’s permitting system to an electronic system, which will reduce the processing time for permits, provide a more user-friendly interface for the public, and provide electronic payment methods for permittees."

The proposed budget is almost certainly DOA, as was the case with the previous budget proposals from this Admin.

Nonetheless, more detail about USFWS, DOI and its other component agencies, and other agencies of interest to ornithologists will follow, so please watch this space!