NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM INVASIVE SPECIES STRIKE TEAM ACT OF 2025

On 2026-09-14, Representative Val T. Hoyle (D-OR-4) delivered a floor speech titled "NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM INVASIVE SPECIES STRIKE TEAM ACT OF 2025" in the House.

NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM INVASIVE SPECIES STRIKE TEAM ACT OF 2025

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 144 (Monday, September 14, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 144 (Monday, September 14, 2026)] [House] [Pages H5560-H5562] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM INVASIVE SPECIES STRIKE TEAM ACT OF 2025 Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4219) to direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish the National Wildlife Refuge System Invasive Species Strike Team Program, as amended. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 4219 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``National Wildlife Refuge System Invasive Species Strike Team Act of 2025''. SEC. 2. NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM INVASIVE SPECIES STRIKE TEAM PROGRAM. (a) National Wildlife Refuge System Invasive Species Strike Team Program.-- (1) In general.--The Secretary shall carry out a program to identify and respond to priority invasive species threats within or adjacent to National Wildlife Refuge System lands and waters in coordination with partners, to be known as the ``National Wildlife Refuge System Invasive Species Strike Team Program''. (2) Requirements.--In carrying out the Program, the Secretary shall-- (A) establish at least 1 invasive species strike team within each region of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service trained in early detection and rapid response for multiple invasive species taxa to-- (i) conserve, manage, and, where appropriate, restore, habitat conditions that help native biological communities flourish within or adjacent to National Wildlife Refuge System lands and waters; (ii) conduct appropriate prevention, early detection, rapid response, and management of invasive species; (iii) use integrated pest management techniques and tools; (iv) conduct inreach and outreach, including trainings and table-top exercises, including on the use of the Incident Command System, as part of their planning and operations; and (v) use risk assessments, research, innovations, management outcomes, monitoring, and evaluation to improve the effectiveness of detection and response activities; (B) engage in partnerships and collaborations with-- (i) Federal, State, Tribal, and local governments; (ii) nongovernmental institutions; (iii) nonprofit organizations; and (iv) private individuals and entities to advance mutual priorities and promote efficiency and cost-savings; (C) collaborate in the development of a set of consistent taxonomy standards and work with others to implement such standards among each database of the Department of the Interior; (D) utilize national and regional standardized reporting platforms, such as-- (i) the National Agricultural Pest Information System; (ii) the National Data Repository of the National Plant Diagnostic Network; (iii) the Early Detection and Distribution Mapping System; (iv) the Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database of the United States Geological Survey; (v) iMapInvasives; and (vi) State databases; and (E) ensure that both identification of and response to priority invasive species threats on lands and waters adjacent to the National Wildlife Refuge System are carried out only at the request of the owner of such lands or waters. (3) Provision of assistance.--In carrying out the Program, the Secretary may-- (A) conduct outreach as appropriate to Federal, State, local, and Tribal governments and institutions, as well as private individuals and organizations, to address the management of invasive species within or adjacent to National Wildlife Refuge System lands and waters, including providing or entering into, upon request-- (i) financial assistance, including direct expenditures; (ii) technical assistance; (iii) contracts; or (iv) grants or cooperative agreements; and (B) upon the request of an entity described in subparagraph (A) and as appropriate, enter into an agreement to provide the expertise and use of an Invasive Species Strike Team established under paragraph (2) to respond to existing or newly detected invasive species. (4) Coordination of management actions.--The Secretary shall encourage the National Wildlife Refuge System to coordinate the invasive species management actions of each Invasive Species Strike Team with adjacent landowners and the State or Tribal agencies within the State or Tribal lands on which Invasive Species Strike Team activities may occur. (5) Report.-- (A) In general.--The Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Appropriations and the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Appropriations and the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the Senate, and make available to the public on the website of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, a report regarding the Program 2 years after the date of the enactment of this section and 5 years after the date of the enactment of this section. (B) Contents of report.--Each report submitted under subparagraph (A) shall include-- (i) a summary of the work of each Invasive Species Strike Team to address priority invasive species within the National Wildlife Refuge System; and (ii) progress made by the Program toward the prevention, detection, control, or eradication of each priority invasive species. [[Page H5561]] (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this section $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2033. (c) Definitions.--In this section: (1) Early detection.--The term ``early detection'' means a process of surveying for, reporting, and verifying the presence of an invasive species before the founding population of such invasive species becomes established or spreads so widely that eradication is no longer feasible. (2) Eradication.--The term ``eradication'' means the removal or destruction of an entire population of specific invasive species, or removal of a group of invasive species at a pre-defined geographic scale, confirmed through species- specific post-treatment monitoring with no or little chance of reinvasion. (3) Invasive species.--The term ``invasive species'' means, with respect to a given ecosystem, a non-native organism the introduction of which causes or is likely to cause-- (A) economic or environmental harm; or (B) harm to human, animal, or plant health. (4) Prevention.--The term ``prevention'' means actions, such as outreach, education, or inspection stations, associated with stopping invasive species from being introduced or spreading into a new location or ecosystem through various pathways. (5) Priority invasive species.--The term ``priority invasive species'' means an invasive species that is a major concern and necessary to map, monitor, and manage based on the following factors: (A) Potential impact on other native species. (B) Ability to alter habitats. (C) Ability to harm human health. (D) Severity of economic impact. (6) Program.--The term ``Program'' means the National Wildlife Refuge System Invasive Species Strike Team Program authorized under subsection (a)(1). (7) Rapid response.--The term ``rapid response'' means a process that is employed to eradicate or contain the founding or incipient population of an invasive species from a specific location. (8) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. (9) State.--The term ``State'' means-- (A) each of the several States; (B) the District of Columbia; and (C) each territory and possession of the United States. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) and the gentlewoman from Oregon (Ms. Hoyle) each will control 20 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arkansas. General Leave Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 4219, the bill now under consideration. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Arkansas? There was no objection. Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of H.R. 4219, the National Wildlife Refuge System Invasive Species Strike Team Act of 2025. Invasive species pose a serious threat to our Nation's wildlife and natural resources. They can damage habitat, harm native species, and create significant economic and environmental costs. The National Wildlife Refuge System is a crown jewel of American wildlife conservation, and invasive populations in refuges jeopardize the system's conservation value. We must ensure the Fish and Wildlife Service has the tools it needs to respond quickly to those threats. The Fish and Wildlife Service currently uses invasive species strike teams to identify and respond to invasive species threats through prevention, early detection, and rapid response. H.R. 4219 strengthens this effort by establishing at least one strike team in each Fish and Wildlife Service region and encouraging coordination with Federal, State, Tribal, local, and private partners. I support this legislation and reserve the balance of my time. Ms. HOYLE of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4219, the National Wildlife Refuge System Invasive Species Strike Team Act would codify and build an innovative program within the National Wildlife Refuge System to target and eradicate invasive species. The National Wildlife Refuge System is the largest network of land and waters in the world dedicated to the conservation of wildlife, but many of these refuges face funding and staffing shortages that make it difficult to keep up with invasive species. The sooner a

Referenced legislation: HR4219, HR4219