Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act of 2025

Floor Speech

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Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the distinguished chairman of the Agriculture Committee Subcommittee on Forestry for his great work, for his leadership, and for his tireless work on this important issue.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 356, the Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act of 2025.

Actively managing our national forests is critical for both forest health and the economic health of our rural communities. Congress has long recognized that responsible timber harvesting is essential for encouraging that stewardship.

Since many communities throughout the United States, including Pennsylvania's 15th Congressional District, are located within national forest lands, declining timber harvests can lead to chronic underfunding of local schools, emergency services, and other projects that rely on a strong tax base. As a result, Congress made a commitment to provide resources to rural communities and schools that have tracts of land managed by the U.S. Forest Service.

Since 1908, Federal law has required that 25 percent of the revenue generated through timber sales in national forests is returned to the local county. These funds are then used by local governments to provide critical support services for schools, roads, and other essential needs.

Timber harvesting in the national forest system reached its peak in the late 1980s, then dramatically declined in the early 1990s. This decline led to significantly reduced payments to counties, notably impacting rural schools. This trend continued throughout the decade, and harvesting levels have since remained only a fraction of their historical highs.

To offset this lost revenue, Congress created the Secure Rural Schools program in 2000 to offer an alternative funding formula that takes historic production levels into account. This program has been a lifeline to hundreds of rural counties and school districts across the country who have seen their budgets slashed through no fault of their own.

The program expired in the fall of 2023, resulting in county payments reverting to the rate under permanent law, which equates to a nearly 70 percent reduction.

Today's legislation will extend Secure Rural Schools for 3 years and make adjustments to payments already made for fiscal years 2024 and 2025. Without this critical reauthorization, these rural school districts will not receive any additional funding this year, and payments scheduled for distribution in the spring of 2026 and beyond will remain at significantly reduced levels.

I represent many communities that receive funding through the Secure Rural Schools program, and I remain committed to seeing the program operate consistently and successfully. We must ensure that Congress continues to fulfill our obligation to our rural counties and schools.

Mr. Speaker, I support this legislation, and I urge my colleagues to vote favorably.

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