U.S. Representative Rick Larsen (D, WA-02) and U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) led Washington state’s Democratic Congressional delegation - Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Representatives Suzan DelBene (D, WA-01), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D, WA-03), Emily Randall (D, WA-06), Pramila Jayapal (D, WA-07), Kim Schrier (D, WA-08), Adam Smith (D, WA-09), and Marilyn Strickland (D, WA-10) - in a recent letter to Department of Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, urging him to reverse the Trump administration’s disastrous decision to eliminate funding for Regional Fisheries Enhancement Groups (RFEGs). This decision is a blow to widely supported salmon recovery and habitat restoration efforts, and undermines longstanding Tribal partnerships built over many years.
RFEGs represent a unique model to engage local communities in salmon recovery through hands-on habitat restoration, public outreach, and partnerships with tribal, federal, state, and private entities. Operating as fourteen independent entities across Washington state, these groups sponsor some of the largest, most complex habitat projects focused on specific geographic regions, allowing them to tailor projects to local needs while contributing to a statewide coordinated salmon recovery strategy. Quotes from RFEGs across Washington state about the impact of the Trump administration’s decision to eliminate funding are collected here.
"We write to express our deep concern regarding the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS) elimination of $1,285,000 of Fiscal Year 2025 funding for Washington state’s Regional Fisheries Enhancement Groups (RFEGs). This widely supported program is a critical component of community-driven salmon recovery efforts, creating thousands of jobs and spurring millions of dollars in economic development across all corners of our state. Your decision to cut funding undermines longstanding partnerships and progress that have been built over many years," the bicameral group of Members wrote. "We urge you to disburse this previously appropriated funding immediately to prevent disruption to critical recovery and restoration projects."
"Elimination of federal RFEGs funding has had immediate consequences for salmon recovery efforts throughout Washington state," the Members continued. "Without this support, dozens of active habitat restoration projects will be delayed, scaled back, or abandoned entirely, jeopardizing critical work to reopen fish passage, improve spawning and rearing habitat, and restore degraded stream systems. The loss of federal funding also threatens to destabilize longstanding partnerships between tribes, private landowners, and state agencies that have been central to the program’s success. Many RFEGs rely on federal funds as core operational support that enable them to leverage additional resources. Without this foundation, the capacity to plan, coordinate and execute complex restoration projects will be drastically diminished."
"We urge you to immediately reverse the decision to terminate funding for the RFEG Program and ensure continued federal support," the group of Members wrote. The Members concluded by requesting answers to a list of detailed questions regarding the elimination of RFEG funding by August 8th - the Department still has not responded.
The full text of the letter is available here.
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