Congressman Dan Goldman Urges Congressional Leadership to Bring Clean Appropriations Bills to Ensure Government Remains Funded

Funding Bills Currently Proposed by Extremist Republicans Riddled with Poison Pill Provisions and Drastic Spending Cuts

Congressman Goldman Pushing Leadership for Funding Legislation Without Xenophobic Border Policies, Draconian Abortion Restrictions

Read the Letter Here

Washington D.C. - Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10) joined Representatives Deborah Ross (NC-02), Ruben Gallego (AZ-03), Terri Sewell (AL-07), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), and Doris Matsui (CA-07) in calling for Congressional Leadership and the House Appropriations Committee to put forth clean appropriations bills that do not include “poison pill” provisions for the upcoming 2024 Fiscal Year.

As currently proposed, various provisions hidden in the Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations bills would harm Americans nationwide. In the ‘Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act,’ there is a provision that limits access to medication abortion through mail-order pharmacies and an amendment that limits the United States’ ability to comprehensively address the climate crisis by eliminating funding for President Biden’s Youth Climate Corps.

“Bogging down the appropriations process with controversial policy debates will create another damaging political impasse,” The members wrote. “Given our country’s many ongoing challenges and urgent needs, the House of Representatives must work cooperatively to complete the appropriations process in a timely manner. Clean funding bills – free of contentious poison pill riders – represent the best path forward as we work to fulfill our duty to the American people to keep the federal government running.”

Additionally, the members pushed for the Appropriations Committee to ensure sufficient funding to non-defense discretionary spending programs. While adequate spending levels had been agreed to by the Executive and Legislative branches with the passage of the ‘Fiscal Responsibility Act’ to raise the debt ceiling, current Republican proposals renege on these agreements by including drastic cuts to various programs, including 92 percent funding cuts for Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor. These short-sighted and extreme funding cuts could cause major disruptions to the programs relied upon by millions across the country.

Read the full letter here and below: 

The Honorable Kevin McCarthy 

Speaker 
U.S. House of Representatives 

Washington, DC 20515 

The Honorable Kay Granger 

Chairwoman 
Committee on Appropriations 

U.S. House of Representatives 

Washington, DC 20515 

The Honorable Hakeem Jeffries 

Minority Leader 
U.S. House of Representatives 

Washington, DC 20515 

The Honorable Rosa DeLauro 

Ranking Member 
Committee on Appropriations 

U.S. House of Representatives 

Washington, DC 20515

Dear Speaker McCarthy, Leader Jeffries, Chairwoman Granger, and Ranking Member DeLauro:

We write to urge you to bring forward appropriations bills without harmful poison pill policy riders to adequately fund the federal government in Fiscal Year 2024.

Bogging down the appropriations process with controversial policy debates will create another damaging political impasse. Given our country’s many ongoing challenges and urgent needs, the House of Representatives must work cooperatively to complete the appropriations process in a timely manner. Clean funding bills – free of contentious poison pill riders – represent the best path forward as we work to fulfill our duty to the American people to keep the federal government running.

In addition, we strongly urge the Appropriations Committee to provide adequate funding to non-defense discretionary programs. Enacting domestic spending levels below the caps set by the bipartisan debt ceiling package would threaten the health, safety, security, and economic well- being of our constituents.

Again, consistent with the best traditions of the House and the best interests of our country, we strongly urge you to advance responsible appropriations legislation free of poison pill provisions. We owe it to the American people to pass appropriations bills that meet the urgent needs of today and invest in America’s future.

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