After wasting time pushing forward a disastrous tax plan, Congress is now scrambling to keep the federal government funded. Funding was set to run out on December 8, but Congress passed another continuing resolution to extend the deadline until December 22. This means that over the next week or so Congress will focus on coming to an agreement to keep the federal government funded into the new year and try to reconcile differences between the Senate and House of Representatives tax bills. This is an important opportunity to remind members of Congress to properly fund agencies that protect the environment and public health and to oppose sneaky riders pertaining to unrelated issues inserted into funding or tax bills.
For example, the Senate has released its proposed budget for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). While this proposed budget does not propose cuts as extreme as those proposed by the Trump administration, it would still result in EPA having its smallest budget since 1986. The cuts would also force a significant “downsizing” of the EPA and hamstring the ability of the remaining EPA staff to effectively protect the public.
There also are dangerous riders in the EPA budget bill. These include a provision that would reverse a decision made by EPA during the Bush administration to not allow a project that would damage roughly 67,000 acres of wetlands. Other riders would reverse certain Clean Water Act requirements and undo protections for some endangered animals.
Both versions of the tax plan could also have significant environmental impacts. The bills include provisions to open up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas drilling and the House version cuts renewable energy production tax credits. Overall, the tax plan will mostly benefit wealthy individuals and corporations. The fact that some Members of Congress are prioritizing tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans while failing to compromise on the funding the government needs to run calls into question these lawmakers’ priorities.
Simply passing one continuing resolution after another is not a sustainable way to fund the federal government. Continuing resolutions prevent federal agencies from planning ahead and may lead to important projects and initiatives being put on hold. As Members of Congress negotiate over federal funding and revenue, they need to know that their constituents are paying attention. This week, we are asking you to call your Members of Congress and remind them that we need a budget that fully funds the government and supports environmental and public health programs. Here is a template that you can use:
“My name is [YOUR NAME] and I am a resident of ZIP code [ZIP CODE] in [STATE]. I am calling to express my support for a clean federal budget that protects the environment and public health. Congress needs to stop using continuing resolutions to kick the can down the road, and instead pass a fair and sustainable budget. I urge you to push for full funding for the Environmental Protection Agency and oppose any budget riders that would reverse environmental protections such as opening up Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to fossil fuel exploration and extraction. Additionally, as Congress reconciles the differences between the two tax plans, I ask that you push back against any provisions that would hurt American citizens and benefit wealthy companies and individuals. Thank you.”
[CongressLookup]