Have you been impacted by federal funding cuts and dismissals?
Have you been impacted by federal funding cuts and dismissals?
Media Releases, Legislative News, Agricultural Updates
Welcome to RMFU’s third Legisletter of the 2025 legislative session! At the Federal level, we are concerned by the sweeping executive actions the Trump administration has made, especially with regards to freezing federal grants and other congressionally-approved funds. Many of our members and communities rely on federal funding, whether in the form of grants or other federally funded programs. While the administration has halted this for now, it is unclear if or when it might be brought back. We have posted an open letter to the administration on our social media that calls for clarification on this potential policy shift, and we encourage folks to reach out individually to the Trump administration; for a template containing suggested language for how to reach out, please visit this link: https://rmfu.org/sample-letters-regarding-the-federal-freeze-on-grants-loans-and-aid-for-rural-communities/
In Colorado, committee hearings began this week. The Colorado House Committee on Agriculture, Water, and Natural Resources met on Monday, and the Colorado Senate Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources met on Wednesday and Thursday.
Here is a summary of what happened with the bills RMFU has a position on:
We also supported the following three bills in the Colorado Senate:
In Wyoming, there are well over 500 bills in total. The last day for the introduction of Senate Files was Wednesday, January 29th, and the last day for House Bills is Monday, February 3rd. After these dates, there will be no more new bills, so things will shift soon from more and more new bills each day to fewer and fewer as deadlines pass and bills die.
On Friday, January 31st, each chamber considered the Supplemental Budget bill in the Committee of the Whole (the first of 3 readings). In even-numbered years, lawmakers draft a 2-year budget, the biennium budget. In the odd years, they can amend and supplement that in the supplemental budget. The new, Freedom-Caucus-aligned Joint Appropriations Committee has created a bill that cuts over $250 million from Governor Gordon’s suggested supplemental budget. Some of the biggest cuts to the Governor’s suggested budget are to wildfire recovery, developing energy projects, local government emergency funds, Business Ready Community grants and loans, and maternity and mental healthcare reimbursement rates. Some legislators have begun pushing back on these cuts by bringing bills like HB2097 Fire suppression and restoration funding-2 that would, independent of the budget, provide some of these funds. We anticipate animated discussion over the next weeks as they amend the budget on 2nd and 3rd reading and then attempt to reconcile the difference between what the Senate and House pass before sending it to the Governor.
In addition to the budget, we have been actively engaging with legislators to oppose mandatory electronic ID devices (SF64), support country of origin labeling for beef (SF84), support our elections (HB131, HB165), stop punitive measures against renewable energy (SF0183, HB0183), and many other topics. Property tax, education, and social issues continue to dominate House and Senate floor discussions.
In New Mexico, committee hearings are also underway. Among other bills that the New Mexico House Agriculture, Acequias & Water Resources Committee heard this week, we are supporting the following two:
Meanwhile, in the New Mexico Senate Conservation Committee this week, among other legislation the committee considered, we supported the following:
As always, for a full list of the legislation RMFU is tracking, please visit https://rmfu.org/legislation/
Share your voice and help shape the future of farming and ranching in the Rocky Mountain region.
Become a Member