In May 2025, the Trump administration slashed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ civil works budget by $1.5 billion, including a 46% cut to the Columbia River Fish Mitigation program, reducing its funding from $66.67 million in FY2024 to $35.98 million in FY2025. This program, critical for mitigating the harm of Columbia River hydropower dams on endangered salmon and steelhead, faces disruptions that experts warn could push 13 endangered runs closer to extinction. The cuts, coupled with a reported shift of funds from Democratic to Republican states, have sparked outrage, with critics like Sen. Patty Murray calling it “political retribution.” As salmon populations dwindle, can the program recover, or will it deepen the crisis for Northwest tribes, economies, and ecosystems?

The Funding Cut and Its Context

The Columbia River Fish Mitigation program, mandated under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), evaluates dam impacts and funds solutions like fish passage improvements, habitat restoration, and spillway adjustments. The FY2025 budget of $35.98 million is a sharp drop from the $75.2 million proposed by the Biden administration in March 2024 and a 46% reduction from FY2024’s $66.67 million. Historically, funding peaked above $100 million in the early 2010s but fell to $30-$40 million during Trump’s first term, only recovering under Biden’s later years.

The cut is part of a broader $1.5 billion reduction to the Corps’ civil works, amid $10 billion in federal science and regulatory agency cuts. An analysis by Murray’s office alleges the administration redirected hundreds of millions from Democratic-led states like Washington to Republican-led ones, violating Congress’s March 2025 continuing resolution that maintained FY2024 funding levels.

“Trump’s playing politics with critical infrastructure,” Murray said, calling it “despicable.”

Impact on Salmon and Steelhead

Columbia Basin salmon and steelhead, once numbering 10-18 million annually, have plummeted to 2.3 million, with wild runs at 2% of historic levels. Dams block 55% of spawning habitat, kill juveniles in turbines, and disrupt migration, contributing to 13 ESA-listed runs. A 2022 NOAA assessment found nearly all tributary spawner populations declined from 1990-2019. Other stressors—overfishing, climate change, habitat loss, and predators—compound the crisis, but dams remain the primary driver.

The mitigation program’s work is legally required to minimize “lethal take” of ESA-protected species. Cuts threaten:

• Fish Passage: Delayed upgrades to ladders and spillways, critical for juvenile survival, which drops to 50% at some dams.

• Habitat Restoration: Reduced funding for stream and wetland projects, vital for spawning. Only 10% of needed restoration is complete, per Yakama Nation estimates.

• Maintenance: A $500 million backlog in dam maintenance, including fish facilities, risks failures that harm fish and navigation.

Tom Iverson of Yakama Nation Fisheries warned, “These cuts will halt critical actions, undermining U.S. commitments under the Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement.”

This 2023 deal, involving tribes and the Biden administration, promised increased salmon investments, not reductions.

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Economic and Cultural Stakes

Salmon are a $10 billion economic driver for Washington, supporting 20,000 jobs in fishing, tourism, and tribal industries. Tribes like the Nez Perce and Yakama, whose treaties guarantee fishing rights, face cultural devastation.

“The river is our identity,” said Nez Perce leader Shannon Wilson.

The cuts also threaten orcas, reliant on Chinook salmon, with only 54 Southern Residents left in 2024.

Farmers and hydropower customers face indirect risks. Dams provide 40% of Northwest power and irrigation for 1 million acres, but poor fish passage could trigger ESA lawsuits, disrupting operations. A 2023 study estimated $5 billion in losses if salmon runs collapse.

Why the Cuts Happened

The administration’s motives appear twofold:

Budget Reduction: The $1.5 billion Corps cut aligns with Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, targeting $2 trillion in federal savings. Environmental programs, seen as low-priority, face disproportionate hits.
Political Reallocation: Murray’s analysis suggests funds shifted to Republican states, consistent with Trump’s targeting of “blue state” programs, as seen with Harvard’s SEVP revocation.

The Corps’ Tom Conning sidestepped comment, saying only that they’ll “prioritize projects” with partners. An internal email from program manager Ida Royer, obtained by The Columbian, revealed $2-$3 million in FY2024 carryover funds will soften immediate impacts, but long-term uncertainty disrupts planning.

“We’ll need to refine costs and priorities,” Royer wrote.

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Challenges and Risks

• Program Disruption: A 6-year planning cycle means cuts delay projects like juvenile bypasses, costing $10-$20 million each. Deferred maintenance risks facility failures, as seen in a 2019 Bonneville Dam spillway incident that killed 10,000 fish.

• Tribal Trust: Cuts violate treaty obligations, risking lawsuits from tribes like the Colville, who secured $1 billion in 2023 for Upper Columbia restoration.

• ESA Compliance: Reduced mitigation could prompt lawsuits from groups like the Sierra Club, who’ve challenged dam operations six times since 1998.

• Political Backlash: Murray and Gov. Jay Inslee are pushing legislation to restore funding, but Trump’s DOGE agenda may override Congress.

What’s Next?

The Corps will reprioritize projects in 2025, likely halting new fish passage initiatives and focusing on urgent maintenance. Tribes and advocates, backed by Murray, plan legal action, citing ESA and treaty violations. A 2026 budget fight looms, with Biden’s $93 million salmon proposal as a benchmark.

Long-term, dam removal remains contentious. Breaching four lower Snake River dams could restore 140 miles of habitat, boosting runs by 20-30%, per NOAA, but costs $34 billion and faces Republican opposition. Biden’s 2023 agreement with tribes to study reintroduction above Grand Coulee Dam offers hope, but Trump’s cuts stall progress.

“This is a betrayal of our fish, tribes, and future,” Iverson said.

As salmon teeter on extinction, the cuts test the Northwest’s resilience. Will legal and political pushback restore funding, or will dams continue to choke the river’s lifeblood?

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