Christopher Schuler, christopher.schuler@sierraclub.org
Washington, DC – Today, Republicans on the House Budget Committee failed to advance Donald Trump’s massive budget reconciliation package that would endanger our clean air and water, sell off public lands, and raise costs on working families—all to give more tax cuts and handouts to billionaires and corporate polluters. The bill failed by a vote of 16-21.
Republican holdouts on the committee argue that they want to see even more drastic cuts to essential services. The vote was held as analysis from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office released this week confirmed that the bill would end vital health care coverage for more than 13 million Americans, primarily low-income households and seniors.
In response, Sierra Club Legislative Director Melinda Pierce released the following statement:
“Congressional Republicans are in disarray as more and more of their constituents learn that this bill is an all-out attack on clean air and water, our precious public lands, and lower costs for consumers. This bill puts the American people last, robbing them of access to clean energy tax credits that millions have embraced—tax credits that are lowering energy costs and protecting the health of our families and communities. If approved, it would allow Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s polluter pals to drill for oil and gas without any regard for our safety, sell our public lands off to those same fossil fuel special interests, and pad the pockets of only the very wealthiest Americans.
“What’s most alarming is that some House Republicans believe this effort isn’t quite cruel enough. This budget reconciliation package is nothing more than a handout to Trump’s campaign donors and polluters who haven’t once thought about you and your family, your health, or the future we’ll leave to our children and grandchildren. Call your members of Congress and demand that they vote no on selling out our future.”
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About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.