LETTERS & RELEASES
Questions? Comments? Reporters, coalition members, and allies are encouraged to contact David Rosen at drosen@citizen.org to speak with an expert, join the coalition, or find out more.
March 22 Minibus Leaves Out Nearly All of the New Poison Pills
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Clean Budget Coalition today congratulated Congress on removing nearly all of the House GOP’s 560+ new poison pill policy riders from the package of six funding bills due today, clearing the way for final passage and the beginning of the FY 25 budget cycle. Even though virtually all of the legacy riders from past budget cycles remained, only two new poison pills were added to the March 22 minibus. The previous minibus containing the other six […]
Lawmakers Must Hold the Line Against Partisan Poison Pills in Second Minibus
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congress is expected to vote this week on a consolidated minibus of the six spending bills due by March 8, which excluded most of the poison pill policy riders House Republicans added to their draft spending bills. Lisa Gilbert, executive vice president of Public Citizen and co-chair of the Clean Budget Coalition, released the following statement: “The fight against partisan poison pill policies isn’t over. As we turn to the second ‘minibus,’ we must redouble our efforts […]
Speaker Johnson Risks Shutdown Over Poison Pills
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In response to the White House meeting with the Four Corners to avoid a government shutdown, Lisa Gilbert, executive vice president of Public Citizen and co-chair of the Clean Budget Coalition, released the following statement via video: “Reportedly 95% of the budget deal is done, and extreme MAGA poison pill demands are the outstanding topics in the negotiations. That their contentious, unpopular riders are the sticking point means that the House GOP would be directly responsible for […]
MEDIA ALERT: A Government Shutdown Over House GOP’s Poison Pill Riders
President Joe Biden invited the “Big Four” leaders — House Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries — to the White House on Tuesday morning to discuss the standoff over the annual spending bills. Without a resolution or another short-term stopgap, a partial government shutdown will begin this weekend. Embarrassed by their lack of accomplishments, MAGA House Republicans see the must-pass spending bills as their best chance to […]
Nearly 200 Groups Call for Clean Spending Bills
Dear Senators and Members of Congress, The Clean Budget Coalition and allied organizations– an alliance of labor, scientific, consumer, research, good government, faith, civil rights, community, health, environmental, business, and public interest groups – urges you to pass FY24 appropriations bills free from policy riders that harm the public. No appropriations package should move forward if it contains “poison pill” policy riders that go against the public interest. Congress must pass clean spending bills that place the focus of the […]
No Red-Meat Riders, House GOP Appropriators Tell Hardliners
WASHINGTON, D.C. – House Republican appropriators reportedly told hardliners in their conference on Wednesday that “they have no chance of exacting the kinds of ‘poison pill’ riders that the House approved in GOP-only spending bills,” and urged conservatives to “drop their focus on other poison-pill amendments.” Lisa Gilbert, executive vice president of Public Citizen and co-chair of the Clean Budget Coalition, released the following statement: “Poison pill riders are toxic measures that have nothing to do with funding our government […]
QUOTES: Whitehouse, Hoyer, Schakowsky, Ross Join Budget Advocates, Impacted Americans to Denounce House GOP’s Poison Pills, Proposed Spending Cuts
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse and Reps. Steny Hoyer, Jan Schakowsky, and Deborah Ross today joined leading budget advocates and everyday people likely to be harmed by the House GOP’s proposed spending cuts and poison pill riders for a press conference at the House Triangle. Speakers at the event denounced House Republicans’ continued efforts to push for massive cuts to critical programs and the 560+ harmful poison pill riders still present in the House GOP’s draft spending bills. Some […]
Thursday Press Conference with Whitehouse, Hoyer, Schakowsky, Ross, Budget Advocates, People Harmed by House GOP’s Proposed Spending Cuts, Poison Pills
WHAT: Please join us for a Thursday afternoon press conference at the House Triangle featuring Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, Reps. Steny Hoyer, Jan Schakowsky, and Deborah Ross, leading budget advocates, and everyday people likely to be harmed by the House GOP’s proposed spending cuts and poison pill riders. While House and Senate leaders reached an agreement on topline funding levels for FY 24, negotiations now turn to the details of the 12 bills needed to fund the government. House Republicans are […]
137 Groups Call for Ample Funding, No Poison Pills
Dear Senators and Members of Congress, The Clean Budget Coalition – an alliance of labor, scientific, consumer, research, good government, faith, civil rights, community, health, environmental, business, and public interest groups – urges you to pass FY24 appropriations bills free from policy riders that harm the public. No appropriations package should move forward if it contains “poison pill” policy riders that go against the public interest. Congress must pass clean spending bills that place the focus of the federal budget […]
House Republicans Add Hundreds of Poison Pills as Floor Amendments to Spending Bills
WASHINGTON, D.C. – House Republicans have added more than 250 new poison pill policy riders as floor amendments to their draft spending bills, the Clean Budget Coalition has found. This brings the total number of new poison pills across all 12 spending bills drafted by House Republicans to around 560. “Bills with hundreds of outrageous poison pills are not a serious basis for negotiations,” said Lisa Gilbert, executive vice president of Public Citizen and co-chair of the Clean Budget Coalition. […]
105 Groups Tell Congress to Reject House FY 24 FSGG Spending Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congress should reject the U.S. House Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) appropriations bill for fiscal year 2024, which is expected to be voted on this week, 105 groups in the Clean Budget Coalition said in a letter sent today. “The FY24 FSGG bill is an unredeemable, unserious piece of legislation and we urge all Members to vote against it. It is also another example of overreaching abuse of the appropriations process, as all of the funding […]
Congress Should Reject FY 24 House FSGG Spending Bill
Dear Members of Congress, We the undersigned, representing labor, scientific, consumer, research, good government, faith, civil rights, community, health, environmental, business, and public interest groups – urge you to reject the Fiscal Year 2024 Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) appropriations bill due for consideration in the House of Representatives this week. The FSGG bill brings Congress no closer to reaching agreement to fund the government in a year already marred by perilous standoffs that have left the American people […]