House GOP Passes Bill To Cut EPA Funding By 40%

On Friday, the House Republicans passed a funding bill with a majority vote of 213-203, which reduces the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) budget by almost 40%.

This bill’s approval would result in the EPA having its smallest budget in the past 30 years.

Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pennsylvania.), Mike Lawler (R-New York), and Marc Molinaro (R-New York) opposed the bill. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-Texas) voted in favor of the bill.

For years, Republicans have expressed their grievances toward the agency that deals with issues of pollution, contamination and climate change, claiming that it goes beyond its appropriate boundaries.

Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho), who leads the subcommittee responsible for drafting the bill, described the reduced funding it would offer as a crucial measure to limit inflation and the country’s debt. Simpson stated that making tough decisions to reduce federal spending is not an easy task, but it was necessary given the national debt of over $33 trillion and the high inflation levels.

The GOP bill is highly unlikely to be approved in the current budget cycle, but it serves as a point of departure for negotiations between Republicans and Democrats in the Senate regarding government funding.

The GOP’s objective is to pass all 12 annual government funding bills before the November 17 cutoff to prevent a shutdown. But the remaining five bills present a challenge, as Republicans struggle to maintain unified on spending.