At Least 17 New Poison Pill Riders Were Added to House Spending Bills This Week. Lawmakers Must Remove All of Them.

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For Immediate Release: May 22, 2023

Contact: David Rosen, drosen@citizen.org

WASHINGTON, D.C. – At least 17 new poison pill policy riders were added to majority drafted appropriations bills in the U.S. House over the past week, 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. Below is a list of new poison pills added in the past week:

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

  • WIC Healthy Food Benefit Rider: Undermines U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) revisions to the healthy food benefit and adds an industry carveout for dairy.
  • Packers and Stockyards Act Rider: Prevents USDA from issuing rules to protect farmers and ranchers from meatpacker’s anti-competitive abuses.
  • Mifepristone Rider: Reverses the FDA decision to lift the in-person dispensing requirement and allow mifepristone to be dispensed in certified pharmacies, instead of only by prescribers in hospitals, clinics, and medical offices.
  • “Healthy” Food Labeling Rider: Prevents liability for manufacturers that mislabel foods as “healthy” until compliance date goes into effect.
  • Sodium Reduction Rider: Blocks the FDA from working with industry on voluntary sodium reduction efforts.
  • Menthol and Flavored Cigars Rider: Blocks the FDA from finalizing rules to end the sale of menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars.
  • Nicotine Rider: Stops the FDA from proposing a rule to reduce nicotine levels in cigarettes to make them less addictive.

Homeland Security

  • ICE Abortion Rider: Expands the scope of an existing abortion coverage ban to people detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
  • ICE Abortion Refusals of Care Rider: Provides for harmful refusals of care that stigmatize abortion and harm those detained under ICE custody who need care.
  • ICE Gender Affirming Care Rider: Prohibits the use of funds to administer hormone therapy medication or perform or facilitate any surgery for any person in custody of ICE for the purpose of gender-affirming care.
  • Sponsor Deportation Rider: Eliminates a provision that protects potential sponsors of unaccompanied children from being deported.
  • DHS Diversity Rider: Prohibits the use of funds for executive orders related to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion.
  • DHS Disinformation Rider: Limits the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s ability to counter disinformation campaigns, including from foreign adversaries who seek to undermine our democratic elections.
  • CISA Disinformation Rider: Limits the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s ability to counter disinformation efforts by domestic extremists and other adversaries who seek to harm critical infrastructure and our communities.

Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies

  • CRT Rider: Prohibits the use of funds to teach or promote Critical Race Theory.
  • Diversity Rider: Prohibits the use of funds to implement executive orders related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
  • Gitmo Rider: Prohibits the use of funds to carry out the closure or realignment of Naval Station Guantanamo Bay or to house detainees at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

In addition to these measures, more than two dozen legacy riders that attack abortion rights, fuel political corruption, harm our environment, and more also must be removed from the annual spending bills.

Please reach out to speak with an expert on the Clean Budget Coalition’s work or specific riders listed here.

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