What's In The One Big Beautiful Bill for Quail?
By Andrew Schmidt, PF & QF's Director of Government Affairs
After months of deliberation and last-minute, nail-biting negotiations, Congress has passed H.R. 1, its budget reconciliation package (known also as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act”). The legislation, which Republicans moved forward on a strictly partisan basis, has drawn intense political attention. The reconciliation process is designed to fast-track budget-related bills, often with only one party's support, and this bill is no exception.
But for Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever, one thing remains constant: we work across the aisle to achieve bipartisan conservation outcomes. No matter the process or political environment, we're committed to protecting habitat, expanding access, and supporting the farmers, ranchers, and landowners who make it all possible.
So, what made it into the OBBB, and what was left out? This is wide-ranging legislation impacting energy, taxes, immigration, healthcare, food assistance, and more; let's look at two critical parts of the bill that have been top of mind for PF & QF throughout this process.
Public Lands Off the Chopping Block
Earlier versions of the reconciliation package included a provision to raise revenue by selling off public lands across the West, sidestepping well-established processes and setting a dangerous precedent for the future of our shared natural resources.
PF & QF didn't let it slide.
With support from grassroots advocates across the country, we mobilized quickly and forcefully, directing over 15,000 letters and countless calls and social media posts toward Capitol Hill. The message was clear: America's public lands are not for sale. They're vital habitat, hunting grounds, and economic drivers for rural communities, and they belong to all of us.
Congress listened. Thanks to your advocacy, the final bill excludes the land sales provision, protecting public lands and the habitat, access, and opportunity they provide for all Americans.
Locking In Conservation Investments
Back in 2022, when Democrats controlled Congress and the White House, they passed another reconciliation bill, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), also along party lines. Like the One Big Beautiful Bill, the IRA included a wide range of provisions and titles unrelated to PF & QF's mission. One crucial part of the IRA, however, was a major investment of nearly $20 billion in the voluntary, incentive-based conservation programs authorized in the farm bill.
As we've highlighted before, this influx of funding was historic, but had an expiration date. One of PF & QF's top priorities in Congress has been to reinvest the remaining IRA dollars into the farm bill's permanent baseline, providing these highly successful and oversubscribed programs with long-term, sustained funding. The bill that Congress passed does just that, meaning these historic investments from the IRA are now part of future farm bills.
And crucially, the OBBB provides $70 million for the Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program (VPA-HIP), the most significant investment in public access to private lands for hunting since the 2018 Farm Bill. This funding will help expand walk-in access programs across the country, boosting local economies and hunting opportunities.
What About the Farm Bill?
While the OBBB does incorporate IRA funding into the farm bill baseline and provide funding for VPA-HIP, it does not address the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), a foundational tool for upland habitat and a critical part of the farm safety net. CRP is only authorized through September 2025, meaning Congress will need to act quickly to ensure this critical program is able to continue delivering results for farms and rural communities.
Now that work on this reconciliation bill is behind us, Congress must turn immediately to the task of passing a bipartisan, five-year farm bill that builds on the investments secured in reconciliation and delivers much-needed policy improvements to conservation programs like CRP.
PF & QF stand ready to lead the farm bill conversation, and for any other opportunities that may emerge to work with lawmakers on policies that benefit habitat, hunters, and the people who steward our American lands.