House Republicans Squander Summer with Consideration of Extreme Project 2025 Funding BillsPress ReleaseTradeJobs and the EconomyEnergy

Washington, DC - After hours of pointless amendment debate to appease the extremist wing of their party, House Republicans ran away from a final vote on their harmful fiscal year 2025 Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies funding bill. This defeat comes after their Legislative Branch funding bill failed on the House Floor and House Republican leadership scrapped plans to complete all 12 funding bills before August.

The breakdown of the appropriations process is not due to competing priorities or running out of time. It is a direct result of Republicans being unable to pass their extreme bills that harm American families. Here are examples of the many shortcomings in the bills that do not have sufficient support to be put up for a vote on the House floor:

• Kicks 72,000 teachers out of classrooms from cuts to the Title I program (Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education)
  
• Threatens national security and public safety by defunding federal law enforcement, eliminating thousands of federal agent, analyst, and prosecutor positions (Commerce, Justice, and Science)
  
• Slashes infrastructure investments by more than $1.8 billion below what Amtrak needs to serve riders (Transportation and Housing and Urban Development)
  
• Jeopardizes clean, affordable, and secure energy due to a $1.5 billion cut to the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy program (Energy and Water)
  
• Increases costs to middle class families by cutting the Federal Trade Commission and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau while at the same time making it easier for billionaires and large corporations to avoid paying taxes (Financial Services)
  
• Makes it harder for rural Americans to buy homes and for their communities to improve energy, water, and wastewater services (Agriculture)

The House was scheduled to consider every one of these bills in July, but instead of debating their extreme, partisan bills on the House floor and putting them up for a vote, Republicans chose to leave Washington early. Not only did Republicans adjourn without voting on the Energy and Water Development bill, but they left town a week early after Members of Congress submitted 860 amendments to the five bills that will never be debated on the House floor for a single minute.

When Congress reconvenes in September, it is time for Republicans to join Democrats to quickly adopt bipartisan spending bills continuing vital government operations, helping communities affected by disasters, and ensuring veterans continue to receive the benefits they earned.

"This week, the Republican Majority failed to even hold a vote on their shortsighted partisan Energy and Water bill, which was dead upon arrival on the House Floor. The bill would have cut vital energy and climate programs, shortchanged the Department of Energy, and pushed our nation backwards. This doomed legislation failed to meet the moment at a time when we need to modernize our nation's electrical grid, advance innovation to counter economic warfare waged by our global adversaries, and strengthen our domestic supply chains which proved to be a vital need throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. We need to deliver more jobs in the new energy economy - not less," said Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member Marcy Kaptur (OH-09). "The devastating cuts to nuclear nonproliferation programs that reduce nuclear risks would have made all Americans and people around the world less safe. The controversial poison pill policy riders put into this toxic bill by extremists weighed it down heavily. We need real bipartisan compromise for an Energy and Water funding bill to become law. America can do better, and we must do better, as our future greatly relies on advancements and investments in energy and water development. I am sad we could not hold a vote on legislation that meets this moment, but hold out hope that a bipartisan proposal will come forward before funding expires this fall."

Congresswoman Kaptur's full remarks as prepared for delivery are here.

"House Republicans are unable and unwilling to govern. House Democrats are at the table ready to negotiate. The quicker House Republicans realize their extremist agenda cannot become law, the quicker we can get down to the business of the American people," said Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (CT-03). "This year should have been easier than last. We began the 2025 process-weeks after successfully passing the final 2024 bills-with a topline in place, yet Republicans reneged on it. They wrote partisan bills to further their Trump MAGA Project 2025 Agenda instead of working with Democrats to pass bills that could become law. At every turn, the Republicans are making abortion illegal, eliminating federal support for public education, undermining workers, and disarming America in the face of the climate crisis. Their policies make communities less safe and threaten national security. The majority knows their vote margins. They knew these bills could never pass because House Democrats will not support funding bills that harm children, working families, seniors, and veterans. This charade to appease Republican extremists must end. It is time for Republicans to govern."

Congresswoman DeLauro's full remarks here and here.

"The Republican-led 118th Congress will go down in history as one of the most dysfunctional, unaccomplished Congressional sessions our nation has ever seen. House Republicans have proven time and again that they are the party of extremism and chaos, refusing to work with Democrats to pass bipartisan legislation," said Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member Chellie Pingree (ME-01). "Their Interior Appropriations bill is just the latest example. The drastic cuts they proposed-including cutting funding for the Environmental Protection Agency by a staggering 20 percent-are irresponsible and severely impact necessary investments to fight climate change and protect our communities. Having just spent hours on the floor defending the scientific fact that climate change is real and endangers the lives and livelihoods of Americans across the country, it's clear to me that even these proposed cuts do not go far enough for some Members. It's my hope that we can ultimately pass a bipartisan bill that rejects these ridiculous cuts and takes the threat of climate change seriously. Our children, our grandchildren, and our planet depend on it."

Congresswoman Pingree's full remarks as prepared for delivery are here.

Additional information on the 12 fiscal year 2025 appropriations bills can be found here.

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