SEEC Rejects Pro-Pollution Republican Spending Cuts
Washington, D.C. – The leaders of the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC), including Co-Chairs Reps. Doris Matsui, Mike Quigley, and Paul Tonko, Vice Chairs Reps. Don Beyer, Matt Cartwright, Sean Casten, Chellie Pingree, and Katie Porter, and Chair Emeritus Rep. Gerry Connolly, released the following statement in response to the House passage of the Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) Department of Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (H.R. 8998).
“This week, House Republicans continued their dangerous crusade to gut our bedrock anti-pollution laws and line the pockets of the most egregious polluters and corporate bad actors. By cutting funding to the government agencies responsible for protecting our environment, deploying clean energy, and safeguarding our public lands, House Republicans would leave everyday Americans at the mercy of heavy industrial pollution and extreme weather caused by the ever-worsening climate crisis.
“House Republicans have once again chosen polluters over people. The FY25 Interior and Environment bill brazenly cuts funding for the Environmental Protection Agency by 20 percent, turning a blind eye to the basic needs of clean air and water for Americans across the nation. House Republicans have included nearly 100 harmful poison pill riders in the Interior and Environment bill, including hamstringing the Department of Interior’s ability to make science-based decisions necessary to protect our public lands and deliver affordable clean energy.
“On top of these crippling cuts, House Republicans couldn't even pass their FY25 Energy and Water bill because they failed to rein in the extreme members of their own party who wanted to secure even more reckless cuts for polluters at the expense of the American people. The FY25 Energy and Water bill would have defunded the Department of Energy’s popular clean energy programs, driving up costs for American households and hollowing out the Department’s consumer appliance standards.
“House Republicans have once again squandered an opportunity to make prudent investments that support America’s path to prosperity in the face of a changing climate. Instead, they continue to try to force through reckless partisan spending bills that are loaded with unprecedented giveaways to polluters and big corporations all while cutting critical protections for generations of Americans.”