House Appropriations Committee Advances Three Funding Bills with Significant Funding Cuts
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July 10, 2024 Summary: The House Appropriations Committee advanced FY 2025 Energy and Water; Interior and Environment; and Commerce, Justice, Science funding bills that include significant funding cuts for several NTEU-represented agencies. Late yesterday, Republicans on the House Appropriations Committee approved their FY 2025 Energy and Water; Interior and Environment; and Commerce, Justice, Science appropriations bills. These bills, which determine funding for the Department Interior, including the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), National Park Service (NPS), Department of Energy, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), contained drastic funding cuts below FY 2024 enacted levels. Democrats on the Committee opposed all three bills due to, among other things, the significant funding cuts that go beyond the agreed upon spending levels in the debt limit deal that passed last year. The bill now moves to the full House of Representatives for further consideration. Specifically, the bills would: · Provide $14.7 billion in total funding to the Department of Interior, which is $42 million below the FY 2024 enacted levels. o Fund the Bureau of Land Management at $1.6 billion, a $208 million cut from the previous year. § Provide a much-needed, NTEU-supported permanent pay fix for federal wildland firefighters. o Fund the National Park Service at $3.1 billion, $461 million less than FY 2024. Provide $7.4 billion in total funding for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a drastic 20% cut from FY 2024’s enacted levels. · Cut the overall funding for the Department of Energy by $407 million, for a total FY 25 funding level of $49.9 billion. · Provide the Department of Commerce with $9.9 billion, a decrease of $980 million below the FY24 enacted levels. o For the U. S. Patent & Trademark Office (PTO), the Committee approved an appropriation of just over $4.5 billion, which is the amount of the expected fee collections, ensuring PTO would retain all its fees collected. The Senate version of these bills have not yet been released. Please know that I will continue to keep you informed as these bills move through Congress. |
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