News Category: Federal Policy

Why It Matters: The Endangered Species Act (ESA) was designed to recover species and create a pathway toward long-term conservation. As grizzly bear populations continue to recover across parts of the West, proposals providing states and Tribes with greater management authority represent an important next step. The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) supports science-based wildlife management and believes successful recovery should be accompanied by management flexibility […]

Why It Matters: Wildfires across North America cause tremendous, localized devastation that impacts both human populations and natural ecosystems relied on by sportsmen and women. Elsewhere, the smoke resulting from largescale wildfires represents a severe threat throughout much of the country due to air quality impacts such as that are currently affecting the Eastern United […]

(July 2026) – Washington, D.C. – The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF), the nation’s leading bipartisan organization working to protect and advance hunting, angling, recreational shooting, trapping, and professional fish and wildlife management, today announced that Alex Dove has joined the organization as the Assistant Manager, Federal Policy.  In this role, Dove will support CSF’s federal policy team […]

Why It Matters: The Trump Administration recently released its first progress report on implementation of the Make America Beautiful Again (MABA) Commission, providing sportsmen and women with a roadmap of its conservation and outdoor recreation priorities. From expanding access to hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting opportunities to investing in habitat conservation and modernizing fish and wildlife management, the […]

(June 18, 2026) – Washington, DC – Yesterday, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee passed the America the Beautiful Act, a top priority for the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF), which seeks to reauthorize and build upon the 2020 Great American Outdoors Act. Our uniquely American federal public lands are central to our time-honored traditions […]

Washington, DC – June 10, 2026 – Moments ago, the leaders of the House Natural Resources Committee, Chairman Bruce Westerman, Co-Chair of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (CSC), and CSC Member and Ranking Member Huffman, introduced the bipartisan Great American Outdoors Act 250, reauthorizing a 2020 landmark public lands bill that is a top priority for […]

Why It Matters: Since 1950, the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Program has provided vital funding to state natural resources agencies for fisheries conservation and boating access. Amended in 1984 (known as the Wallop-Breaux Amendment), the Program got a significant boost in the form of excise taxes on marine and small engine fuels. Now called the Sport […]

Why It Matters: As one of the top reasons why sportsmen and women no longer participate in hunting and fishing, access is critical to carry forward our time-honored outdoor traditions. This expansion across lands and waters managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) recognizes the importance of improving access opportunities for sportsmen and […]

Why It Matters: Improving the tax treatment of forest landowners following natural disasters is important for supporting the long-term viability of private working forests, which provide fish and wildlife habitat and places for sportsmen and women to hunt and fish. After a hurricane or other natural disaster, reforestation costs for landowners are significant. Providing tax relief for reforestation costs supports […]

Why It Matters: As one of the most wide-reaching pieces of legislation worked on by Congress, the Farm Bill contains many key provisions important to sportsmen and women, as well as wildlife conservation. The private lands provisions contained within the Farm Bill’s Conservation Title create tremendous opportunities to promote wildlife habitat management and, thanks to programs like VPA-HIP, public hunting and angling access […]

Why It Matters: The Departments of the Interior (DOI) and Agriculture (USDA) are critical departments for sportsmen and women. The two departments collectively manage more than 640 million acres of federal public land, much of which is open to hunting and recreational shooting, and they play a critical role in our nation’s conservation efforts. The Hunting and Shooting Sports Conservation and […]

Why It Matters: Despite the popularity of America’s federal public lands, these treasured resources continue to face a growing maintenance backlog, which threatens access for sportsmen and women as well as conservation for fish and wildlife. By including $1.9 billion in the Fiscal Year 2027 budget request, President Trump is signaling his continued commitment to restoring the degraded infrastructure on our federal […]