
Blog
May 16, 2025 | Source: Common Dreams | by Brett Wilkins
Scientists warned Friday that over $300 million in federal funding cuts for bee research proposed in U.S. House Republicans’ budget reconciliation package imperils critical conservation efforts amid an ongoing colony collapse crisis afflicting the indispensable pollinators.
The proposed budget, which is backed by President Donald Trump, cancels $307 million in funding for the Ecosystem Management Area, the division of the U.S. Geological Survey that oversees biological research including the USGS Bee Lab. The laboratory is the government’s preeminent pollinator research institution and plays a crucial role in efforts to conserve thousands of native U.S. bee species.
The Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) noted Friday that “native bees pollinate 75% of flowering plants, including fruit and vegetable crops that are important to a healthy diet. Through crop and wild plant pollination, native bees contribute $3 trillion to the global economy.”
The post Trump-GOP Budget Imperils Pollinators Amid Bee Colony Collapse appeared first on Organic Consumers.