Clean Budget Coalition Thanks Congress for Rejecting Poison Pill Riders
Dear Member of Congress,
As a part of the Clean Budget Coalition, we, the undersigned organizations, write to thank the Minibus I conferees for reaching a conference bill with no new ideological poison pill policy riders in the conference language of Minibus I made up of the Legislative Branch, Energy & Water and Military Construction–Veterans Affairs appropriations bills and push for a similar outcome for Minibus II and III.
As Senate Appropriations Chair Shelby and Ranking Member Leahy have both called for keeping the Appropriations bills clean from new partisan poison pill policy riders, we ask you to do the same in upcoming conferences.
Time and time again, members of Congress attempt to quietly slip in special interest wish list items that couldn’t pass as standalone legislation into must-pass funding packages as poison pill riders.
Appropriations bills must not be misused to undermine essential safeguards. Slipping unrelated and damaging issues into must-pass appropriations bills as a means to win approval is a dangerous strategy for the public.
Poison pill riders are unpopular and damaging, and the public opposes using them to roll back public protections. The American people support policies to:
- Restrain Wall Street abuses;
- Ensure safe and healthy food and products;
- Secure our air, land, water and wildlife;
- Safeguard fair and safe workplaces;
- Guard against consumer rip-offs and corporate wrongdoing;
- Defend our campaign finance and election systems;
- Provide access to justice and fair housing;
- Protect civil rights; and
- Guarantee continued access to vital health care services including reproductive health care, and more.
We urge Members of Congress to abide by the funding numbers agreed upon in that deal to fund the essential programs our nation needs for FY19, and to follow the Senate bipartisan agreement and Minibus I conference language by rejecting any flawed conference bills that include poison pill policy riders.
Sincerely,
AFL-CIO
Alaska Wilderness League
American Association for Justice
American Rivers
Center for Reproductive Rights
Citizens’ Environmental Coalition
Coalition on Human Needs
Common Cause
Defenders of Wildlife
Democracy 21
Earthjustice
Economic Policy Institute Policy Center
Endangered Species Coalition
Environmental Working Group
Green Science Policy Institute
Impact Fund
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
League of Conservation Voters
League of Women Voters of the United States
NARAL Pro-Choice America
National Black Justice Coalition
National Coalition for the Homeless
National Council of Jewish Women
National Employment Law Project
National Employment Lawyers Association
National Low Income Housing Coalition
National Women’s Law Center
Natural Resources Defense Council
New Jersey Association on Correction
New Progressive Alliance
People For the American Way
People’s Action Institute
Planned Parenthood Federation of America
PolicyLink
Public Citizen
Public Justice Center
Safe Climate Campaign
Save Our Sky Blue Waters
Service Employees International Union
Sierra Club
The Wilderness Society
U.S. PIRG
Union of Concerned Scientists
Voices for Progress
Wild West Institute
Woodstock Institute