As the House considers H.R. 8294, the six-bill minibus for fiscal year (FY) 2023 appropriations, NTU encourages Members to support amendments that reduce spending, reduce regulatory burdens, and make this package more fiscally responsible at a time of record debt and deficits. NTU also encourages Members to oppose amendments that increase taxpayers’ exposure to risk. See here for NTU’s vote alert on the underlying bill, H.R. 8294, which encourages lawmakers to oppose the minibus and its wasteful spending.
Division A - Transportation and Housing and Urban Development
NTU is urging Members to SUPPORT the following amendments in Division A:
Amendment #17 (filed as #72) from Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-WI): This amendment would reduce spending by $300 million through the Community Development Block Grant program. NTU appreciates Rep. Grothman’s effort to reduce spending.
Amendment #18 (filed as #84) from Rep. Kevin Hern (R-OK): This amendment would reduce non-security spending in Division A by 26 percent. Though targeted spending reductions are generally preferable to across-the-board cuts, NTU believes Rep. Hern’s amendment is a step in the right direction given the historic proposed increases for non-defense discretionary spending in the budgets offered by President Biden and Congressional Democrats. Lawmakers should seek to cut both defense and non-defense discretionary spending for FY 2023.
Amendment #1 (filed as #85) from Rep. Rick Allen (R-GA): This amendment would reduce amounts made available by this Act by five percent. As stated previously NTU preferes a targeted approach to budget cuts, however, this five-percent reduction represents an improvement in the budget processes.
Division B - Agriculture, Rural Development, and FDA
NTU is urging Members to SUPPORT the following amendment in Division B:
Amendment #44 (filed as #61) from Rep. Hern (R-OK): This amendment would reduce funding in Division B by 22 percent.
NTU is urging Members to OPPOSE the following amendment in Division B:
Amendment #66 (filed as #19) from Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-NY): This amendment would increase funding for the Nutrition Assistance Program in Puerto Rico by $1 billion. As advocates for taxpayers in the Commonwealth and the rest of the United States, NTU has since early 2015 offered detailed legislative recommendations to help address Puerto Rico’s challenges; however with the current economic climate and inflationary spending, now is not the time to increase spending by $1 billion without corresponding offsets.
Amendment $42 (filed as #35) from Rep. Jack Bergman (R-MI): This amendment would increase and decrease funding for the Foreign Agriculture Service by $1 million with the intent of fully implementing “Buy American” programs that develop markets for U.S. producers overseas, including through the Market Access Program and the Emerging Markets Program. As NTU has noted in the past, “Buy America” provisions are harmful to free trade and free markets.
Division C - Energy and Water Development
NTU is urging Members to SUPPORT the following amendment in Division C:
Amendment #79 (filed as #65) from Rep. Kevin Hern (R-OK): This amendment would reduce spending in Division C by 24 percent, with an exemption for security funding.
Division D - Financial Services and General Government
NTU is urging Members to SUPPORT the following amendments in Division D:
Amendment #131 (filed as #79) from Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX): This amendment would strike $100 million in funding for the United States Postal Service to buy electric vehicles. As we have previously written, NTU is against government funding to USPS to transform their delivery fleet to electric vehicles. USPS should instead procure new vehicles based on what is most affordable, reliable and delivers the best value to taxpayers.
Amendment #122 (filed as #94) from Rep. David Joyce Manning (R-OH), Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA), Rep. Scott Fitzgerald (R-WI), Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA), Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Rep. Dan Meuser (R-PA), Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR), Rep. Rick Allen (R-GA), Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX), Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA), Rep. Troy Balderson (R-OH), Rep. Russ Fulcher (R-ID), Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL), Rep. Bob Good (R-VA), and Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY): This amendment would prohibit the use of federal funds for finalizing, implementing, or enforcing the SEC rule titled, “The Enhancement and Standardization of Climate-Related Disclosures for Investors.” NTU opposes the SEC’s proposed rules regarding climate-related information, due to the high cost these rules impose onto businesses and American consumers, as well as the SEC’s lack of authority to impose many of their desired rules.
Amendment #118 (filed as #121) from Rep. Kevin Hern (R-OK): This amendment would reduce spending in Division D by 22 percent, with an exemption for security funding.
Division E - Interior and Environment
NTU is urging Members to SUPPORT the following amendment in Division E:
Amendment #139 (filed as #35) from Rep. Rick Allen (R-GA): This amendment would reduce spending in Division E by five percent.
Amendment #148 (filed as #49) from Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-WI): This amendment would reduce funding for the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities by $114 million. NTU appreciates this effort at reducing spending.
Amendment #149 (filed as #50) from Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-WI): This amendment would reduce Smithsonian funding by around $311 million. NTU appreciates this effort at reducing spending.
Amendment #150 (filed as #53) from Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-WI): This amendment would reduce EPA Environmental Programs and Management funding by around $295 million. NTU appreciates Rep. Grothman’s effort at reducing spending.
Amendment #53 (filed as #62) from Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX) and Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-WI): This amendment would prohibit federal funds from being used to implement President Biden’s executive order 14008, entitled “Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad.” NTU previously expressed significant concerns with this executive order.
Amendment #151 (filed as #104) from Rep. Kevin Hern (R-OK): This amendment would reduce spending in Division E by 22 percent, with an exemption for security funding.
Stand-alone roll call votes on amendments to H.R. 8294 will be included in NTU’s annual Rating of Congress. Roll call votes on amendments that are a part of an en bloc package of amendments will be considered in NTU’s Rating of Congress based on the overall impact the en bloc package has on taxpayers.
If you have any questions, please contact NTU Policy and Government Affairs Manager Alex Milliken at amilliken@ntu.org.