Though the U.S. federal government remains in a shutdown after funding lapsed in October, the Senate has continued to process legislation.
At the end of October, U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and U.S. Senator Sheldom Whitehouse (D-Rhode Island) introduced a bill to renew authorization and funding for the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act for another five years.
“This will allow the EPA to continue combatting marine debris by implementing four programs to improve recycling, keep trash out of rivers and streams, and keep plastics out of our drinking water and wastewater,” U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan said during a Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works meeting 29 October.
Sullivan and Whitehouse introduced the original legislation back in 2020, and it was signed by U.S. President Donald Trump during the final days of his first term.
“It was the most comprehensive ocean cleanup act in the history of our country,” Sullivan recalled during the meeting.
The law directed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish the Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling (SWIFR) program, which has provided more than USD 100 million (EUR 87 million) in grants to local projects already.
“In the first round, every eligible state and territory requested funding, demonstrating bipartisan need for tackling dangerous plastic waste,” Whitehouse said.
According to the Recycling Partnership, the EPA received 452 applications for funding under the SWIFR program, with requested funding totaling USD 950 million (EUR 828 million).
“The SWIFR grants are critical to bettering America’s recycling system so that we can prevent materials from ending up in landfills or the environment and keep them in the economy where they belong,” The Recycling Partnership Chief Recycling Officer Cody said in a statement of support for the reauthorization bill. “Delivering on the EPA’s promise to better the American economy and environment, the recycling programs funded through SWIFR reduce waste, strengthen domestic supply chains, and allow communities to develop infrastructure that meets their needs.”
Despite the high demand for grant funding, the program was only authorized for five years and is set to expire. Sullivan’s and Sheldon’s legislation would extend that authorization through 2030.
The Committee on Environment and Public Works approved the bill at the 29 October meeting, clearing it for a vote by the full Senate.
However, the legislative push for reauthorization of the EPA program comes amidst the Trump administration’s ongoing efforts to gut the agency. Under Trump’s direction, thousands of EPA employees have been laid off or bought out, and the White House has moved to lay off more staff via reduction in force (RIF) notices during the ongoing government shutdown. The Trump administration has proposed cutting the agency’s funding by more than 50 percent in fiscal year 2026.
“Recycling is a key focus of this program, so it is frustrating that two dozen EPA employees in the Recycling Office were just marked for layoff,” Sheldon said at the Congressional meeting. “This behavior in a program with broad bipartisan support enforcing a law signed by President Trump is why EPA’s credibility is so shot.”
Earlier this year, lawmakers introduced similar legislation to reauthorize and strengthen the original Save Our Seas 2.0 Act. The Save Our Seas (S.O.S.) 2.0 Amendments Act would reauthorize the program, encourage outreach to Tribes, establish a new office for the Marine Debris Foundation, and allow the Marine Debris Program to utilize nontraditional contracts.
The House has not taken action on the bill, but it was passed by the Senate in May.
