Hundreds of Poison Pills Make House GOP Spending Bills a Non-Starter

WASHINGTON, D.C. – No appropriations package should move forward if it contains poison pill policy riders that harm the public, 118 groups in the Clean Budget Coalition told Congress today. Spending bills drafted by House Republicans and passed out of committee contain close to 300 new poison pills and more than two dozen harmful legacy riders that must be removed.

Not only do these measures attack abortion rights, LGBTQ+ Americans, people of color, immigrants, students of all ages, consumers, numerous endangered species, public health, and our environment; they fuel climate destruction, smoking, corporate megamergers, political and financial corruption, gun massacres, disinformation, and right-wing conspiracy theories.

Bills with so many toxic and outrageous measures are not a serious basis for negotiations, the coalition maintains.

“[T]he House majority has drafted FY24 budget bills that include draconian cuts to non-defense discretionary spending as well as hundreds of poison pill riders. At this pivotal moment in the appropriations process, we again ask that you prioritize both appropriate funding levels and keeping new poison pill policy riders out of the bills. We also ask that you work to remove legacy riders that were embedded in previous cycles,” the coalition told lawmakers.

“Congress must pass clean spending bills that place the focus of the federal budget and appropriations process back where it belongs: on providing ample funding and advancing the public interest.”

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