Earthjustice Statement on Senate Budget Reconciliation Resolution
"We elected our leaders to work for us, not corporate polluters."
Contacts
Geoffrey Nolan, gnolan@earthjustice.org
Today, the Senate Budget Committee will vote on a new budget resolution outlining the priorities for the Republican-led reconciliation package. While scant on details, the resolution will direct congressional committees of jurisdiction to make deep funding cuts to pay for President Donald Trump’s border, energy, and tax priorities.
“Even though projects are breaking ground, funds are out the door, and companies are making record investments in all 50 states, Republicans are playing politics at the expense of their own constituents,” said Earthjustice President Abigail Dillen. “Opening our public lands and water to extractive industries, repealing lifesaving regulations, and cutting critical funding that is driving long overdue investment in rural and urban communities, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs, and improving people’s health will set the whole country back. We elected our leaders to work for us, not corporate polluters. Instead, they’re pursuing cuts that will increase pollution, kill jobs, and increase costs on everyday people.”
In a recently released draft, the resolution calls for the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and Environmental and Public Works Committee to find mechanisms to cut over $1 billion each in funding over a period of 10 years. The funding cuts will be used to pay for a large expansion of ICE agents to increase deportation as well as finishing the border wall.
Numerous Republicans have expressed support for including provisions to expand oil and gas leasing on public lands and waters and repeal popular investments from the Inflation Reduction Act like the methane fee and the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, a $27 billion fund created by the Inflation Reduction Act that finances local projects that reduce emissions and air pollution.
If passed, the committees of jurisdiction will release more information regarding specific cuts over the next few weeks before incorporating them into final legislative text.
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