President Trump signed the America’s Conservation Enhancement Act (ACE Act) into law on Friday October 30. The bill passed the U.S. Senate on September 16 and passed the U.S. House of Representatives by voice vote on October 1. The bill combines more than two dozen individual bills including reauthorizing the North American Wetlands Conservation Act at $60 million a year through 2025, reauthorizing and creating new Chesapeake Bay and Great Lakes conservation initiatives, and addressing chronic wasting disease, along with several other issues.

However, the president did raise concerns about a provision within the bill that would authorize the newly created CWD Task Force to (among other tasks), “collaborate with foreign governments to share research, coordinate efforts, and discuss best management practices to reduce, minimize, prevent, or eliminate chronic wasting disease in the United States.” In a signing statement issued by the White House, the administration stated that Section 104(b)(2)(A) of the bill, “interferes with my exclusive authority under Article II of the Constitution to conduct the Nation's foreign affairs. Accordingly, my Administration will treat it as advisory and non- binding.”