Republican Rep. Chip Roy of Texas on Thursday introduced five amendments to the omnibus spending bill that would include preventing funding for “environmental justice” programs and White House Climate Envoy John Kerry’s office.
Roy proposed an amendment to the $1.7 trillion government spending bill that would not allow any of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) $3.28 billion in funding for “programs and management” to go towards “environmental justice activities.” Another of Roy’s proposed amendments would ensure that none of the $9.4 billion earmarked for the State Department and foreign programs would go to Kerry’s office. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: House Republicans Urge EPA To End ‘Completely Arbitrary’ Regulations On Small Fuel Refiners)
“This omnibus funds all manner of fantasy climate ideology – a dream come true for far-left members like @RepAOC [Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez] who constantly whine about “climate change” and “environmental justice,” Roy’s office tweeted Thursday.
The Texas congressman is also attempting to guarantee that none of the $383 million that would be used to hire rental cars and pay for “official reception and representation expenses” will be given to the Energy Department’s Office of Economic Impact And Diversity. The amendment would also slash the department’s total spending by cutting the department’s administrative budget by $34.1 million.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (L), D-NY, teases Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (R), D-CA, about her height as bipartisan Senate and House members participate in a bill enrollment ceremony for H.R.8404, the “Respect For Marriage Act” on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on December 8, 2022. (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)
A fourth amendment would completely eliminate a provision that would raise a record-high $3.46 billion to support the Energy Department’s green energy initiatives and efficiency upgrades. The Republican is seeking to cut $15 million from the $508 million in funding that is earmarked for international organizations and completely strike a provision that would reserve taxpayer money for the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Roy’s amendment to the bill’s EPA provisions would cut EPA funding reserved for personnel, travel and other expenses by more than $108 million. Additionally, the amendment would reduce the amount of money available to help clean up polluted “superfund” sites by nearly $6 million.
The current version of the bill will hand the EPA roughly $108 million to prioritize pollution removal in “historically disadvantaged communities” to further “environmental justice” efforts. The spending package also includes nearly $1 billion under the 2023 State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Appropriations Act to help developing nations mitigate the “climate crisis.”
In addition to the billions allocated for green energy programs and climate initiatives, the massive spending package will put a minimum of $575 million towards “family planning” and “reproductive health,” including in areas of the country where population growth “threatens biodiversity.” The bill would also give over $1.56 billion to Customs and Border Protection for “Operations and Support;” however, the money can’t be used to expand border security measures that stop illegal immigrants from crossing into the U.S.
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