19 New Poison Pills Spotted in Senate Spending Bills. Lawmakers Must Remove All of Them.

Capitol B&W flipped

WASHINGTON, D.C. – At least 19 new poison pill policy riders have been spotted in appropriations bills drafted in the U.S. Senate, according to the Clean Budget Coalition, which is tracking them. Coalition members are calling on lawmakers to remove all of them and oppose passage of any legislation that includes these unpopular and controversial special favors for big corporations and ideological extremists.

Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies

  • The School Low-Fat Milk Rider would require low-fat flavored milk to be allowed in School Lunch and Breakfast Programs, even though the U.S. Department of Agriculture already permits them.

Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies

  • The Arms Trade Rider would prohibit funds to implement the Arms Trade Treaty, an international treaty that regulates the international trade in conventional arms and seeks to prevent and eradicate illicit trade and diversion of conventional arms by establishing international standards that govern arms transfers.
  • The Guantanamo Bay Rider would block the transfer or release of any prisoner held at Guantanamo Bay since June 2009 or setting up alternative detention facilities.

Defense

  • The Wuhan Rider would block funding for any activity conducted by or associated with the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
  • The EcoHealth Rider would block funding for the EcoHealth Alliance, unless the U.S. Defense Secretary issues a waiver. This institution leads scientific research into the connections between human, animal, and environmental health and develops solutions to prevent pandemics and promote conservation.
  • The Guantanamo Bay Rider would block the transfer or release of any prisoner held at Guantanamo Bay since June 2009, close the facility, or set up alternative detention facilities.

Financial Services and General Government

  • The Gas Stoves Rider would prohibit the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission from using funds to ban gas-powered stoves, cooktops, ranges, or ovens in the U.S., even if the product is proven to cause harm.
  • The Dollar Bill Rider would block the Treasury Department and the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing from redesigning the $1 bill.
  • The U.S. Mint Museum Rider would bar the U.S. Mint from constructing or operating any museum without approval from key financial committees in both chambers of Congress.
  • The Anti-Consolidation Rider would block consolidation of any or all functions of the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing and the U.S. Mint without approval from key financial committees in both chambers of Congress.
  • The Executive Order Cost-Benefit Analysis Rider would require any executive order issued or repealed to include a written statement with a cost-benefit analysis of its budgetary impacts if an order is expected to have a cost over $100 million.
  • The Food Marketed to Children Rider would add obstacles thwarting the completion of an interagency report on how food is marketed to children. The report is aimed at developing a range of voluntary, self-regulatory principles that industry can embrace to improve children’s health and nutrition.
  • The D.C. Contraception Religious Exemption Rider would require the District of Columbia to allow health insurance companies to refuse to offer contraception based on religious or moral objections.
  • The D.C. Needle Exchange Rider would prohibit the use of funds for needle exchange programs in the District of Columbia.

Homeland Security

  • The Arms Trade Rider would prohibit funds to implement the Arms Trade Treaty, an international treaty that regulates the international trade in conventional arms and seeks to prevent and eradicate illicit trade and diversion of conventional arms by establishing international standards that govern arms transfers.
  • The Guantanamo Bay Rider would block the transfer or release of any prisoner held at Guantanamo Bay since June 2009 or setting up alternative detention facilities.

Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies

  • The Guantanamo Closure Rider would block funding for closure of the prison at Guantanamo Bay.
  • The Guantanamo Bay Rider would block the transfer or release of any prisoner held at Guantanamo Bay since June 2009 or setting up alternative detention facilities.

Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies

  • The Inward Facing Cameras Rider would prohibit funds from being used to require the use of inward facing cameras, a key safety measure, as a condition for the Safe Driver Apprenticeship Pilot Program, authorized by the bipartisan infrastructure bill. This program is intended to expand the pool of motor carrier drivers and operators by recruiting, training, and certifying drivers under age 21.