SUMMARY:   House Subcommittee passes FY 2024 funding bill that contains significant cuts to federal agencies.

            Yesterday, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies marked up its Fiscal Year 2024 (FY 2024) Appropriations bill. This bill makes drastic cuts to NTEU-represented agencies and, should it become law, would take our country and workforce in the wrong direction.

Since President Biden took office, his budget requests have included significant investments in the federal workforce. Similarly, in recent years, we have seen Congress finally provide more resources and staffing to build and sustain the federal workforce. This House
FY 2024 appropriations bill, however, represents a sharp turn toward deep budget cuts and austerity. This bill proposes a $677 million cut below the FY 2023 enacted level for the Department of Interior, which is $3.4 billion below President Biden’s budget request. These cuts include an 18 percent cut for the Bureau of Land Management which would be funded at
$1.203 billion, and a 13 percent cut for the National Park Service which would receive
$3.039 billion.

            The bill also recommends clawing back $9.373 billion of funding already allocated to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. In addition, the EPA would see a 39% cut across-the-board for FY 2024. This breaks down to a total funding level of $6.173 billion, $3.96 billion below the FY 2023 enacted levels, and $5.91 billion below President Biden’s budget request. The legislation would also repeal existing water regulations, prohibit the EPA from regulating ozone emissions, and includes a funding restriction on reporting greenhouse gas emissions.

            NTEU will actively oppose the draconian cuts contained in this bill and continue urging Congress to invest in federal workers and their families through sound policies that provide adequate funding, resources, and benefits. We will provide updates on this and other funding bills as they move through Congress.