Wildlife Activists Urge Congress To Pass Spending Plan

Source: Carol Hamilton / Getty

STATEWIDE — Congress is once again on the doorstep of another possible government shutdown.

The government runs out of money on November 17th, unless lawmakers can again come to terms on a deal to keep the government running. If the government shuts down, that will delay many pieces of legislation that many organizations say are crucial to U.S. citizens.

For the Indiana Wildlife Federation, that includes two bills: the Farm Bill and the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act.

“Washington, D.C is a bit of a difficult climate right now. When they can’t agree on a budget, they can’t agree on spending money either,” said Dan Boritt, executive director of the Indian Wildlife Federation on Indiana Outdoors.

Boritt said as far as the Farm Bill is concerned, it is a hugely impactful bill when it comes to conservation.

“It’s huge in terms of helping to preserve land, restore land, and give funds to land owners in our state so they can preserve land in its natural state,” Boritt said.

That falls in line with the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act as well. If the government shuts down it will cause a serious delay in important work, according to Boritt.

“This is a bill that, should it become law, would fundamentally change the way we manage wildlife in the state of Indiana,” Boritt said.

The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act will invest up to $1.4 billion each year in state, territorial, and Tribal conservation plans to recover the species and habitats most at risk of disappearing.

The bill would also give $97.5 million to Indigenous communities that own and operate tribal lands. These funds would help them do the same thing on the tens of millions of acres that 574 federally recognized Tribal Nations take care of.