NTU urges all Representatives to vote“NO” on H.R. 2112, the conference report on the Agriculture, CJS, andTransportation Appropriations “minibus” appropriations bill. This bill continues many of the dangerous trends frompast appropriations cycles – cramming multiple bills together, using accountinggimmicks to hide spending, and ignoring the urgency of deficit reduction – thathave aided the explosive growth in federal spending.
Theconference report proposes $700 million in spending restraint, a near-trivialamount given our $15 trillion national debt. Closer inspection reveals thateven this is a mirage. The legislation includes $2.3 billion in disaster relieffunding, a more than $10 billion increase in mandatory expenditures, andbudgetary sleight-of-hand, such as claiming discretionary savings from changesto mandatory spending programs. Such tactics more than wipe out any purported“savings.”
Theconference report also includes language extending the Federal HousingAdministration’s conforming loan limits at stimulus-era levels. This change,which would only benefit roughly the top 1 percent of home purchasers, risksfurther taxpayer bailouts, smothers a willing and capable private mortgageinsurance market, and delays the prospects for true housing policy reform inthe future.
Roll callvotes on H.R. 2112 will be significantly weighted in our annual Ratingof Congress and a “NO” vote will be considered the pro-taxpayer position.
If you have any questions, please contact NTU Federal Government Affairs Manager Brandon Greife at(703) 683-5700