WASHINGTON (July 19, 2018)—The U.S. House today passed a new appropriations bill, one that includes dangerous policy riders that would prevent the enforcement of environmental and public health rules. These efforts would weaken the mission of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of the Interior, exposing Americans to environmental threats, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).
Below is a statement by Ilana Solomon, the federal campaign director at UCS.
“Federal agencies like the EPA and the Department of the Interior play a vital role in protecting public health and the environment. In a series of amendments to their appropriations bill, the House of Representatives has undercut this mission, putting the public at greater risk from environmental threats. These ideological amendments ignore science and betray the communities that depend on strong science-based environment and public health protections.
“As the Senate moves to pass its own package of appropriations in the coming week, Senators must reject the House’s approach, and pass a clean spending bill that doesn’t cut vital programs, or use policy riders to attack science-based protections.”