USGS Ecosystems Mission Area
(USGS Ecosystems)
Department of the Interior~1,200 scientists tracking invasive species, H5N1 bird flu, PFAS contamination, wildlife disease
Summary
The U.S. Geological Survey's Ecosystems Mission Area is the agency's biological research arm, studying invasive species, wildlife disease, ecosystem health, and environmental contaminants like PFAS. The FY2027 budget proposes eliminating this program entirely, cutting its full $300 million (about $294.7 million in FY2026 dollars, per the Congressional Research Service) so the agency can redirect resources toward mineral and energy assessments.
Who Is Affected
Roughly 1,200 USGS scientists and support staff would lose their jobs, according to reporting on the proposal. The cut also hits the Cooperative Research Units program, a 90-year-old partnership that embeds federal scientists at 43 research units in 41 states and 44 universities to help state wildlife agencies set hunting seasons and track wildlife populations, plus the National Wildlife Health Center, which runs the nation's surveillance system for highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) in wild birds.
What this cut would actually mean
If eliminated, the surveillance systems that give early warning of bird flu outbreaks in wild birds and track the spread of invasive species and wildlife disease would go dark, leaving state agencies, farmers, and public health officials with less information to respond to outbreaks before they spread to poultry or livestock. A retired USGS Cooperative Research Units chief said the loss would be a "generational catastrophe for North American, and global, conservation science" because the expertise and data streams, once gone, would not be rebuilt or replaced elsewhere.
Sources
- The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS): FY2027 Budget Request | Congress.gov — Congressional Research Service brief confirming the FY2027 budget eliminates the Ecosystems Mission Area, funded at $294.7 million in FY2026, to focus on energy and minerals priorities.
- The Ground Shifts Beneath Us: The Geospatial Ecosystem in the Shadow of the FY 2027 Budget — Project Geospatial — Reports that elimination of the Ecosystems Mission Area means dismissal of an estimated 1,200 scientists and support staff, and includes reactions from former USGS researchers on the scientific loss.
- Cooperative Research Units | U.S. Geological Survey — USGS program page describing the 43 Cooperative Research Units in 41 states at 44 host universities that partner with state wildlife agencies.
- Avian Influenza Surveillance | U.S. Geological Survey — Describes the National Wildlife Health Center's role conducting surveillance in wild birds for early detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza, including H5N1.
- Statement on White House FY2027 budget proposal for public lands - Center for Western Priorities — Policy analysis noting the proposal zeroes out the USGS Ecosystems Mission Area and climate research across Interior bureaus, removing the scientific foundation for managing land, water, and wildlife.
Administration's Stated Rationale
“Ecosystem science programs eliminated; remaining USGS resources directed to mineral and energy assessments.”