Clean Budget Coalition Opposes Legacy Riders in FY20 Appropriations Legislation
Dear Member of Congress,
The Clean Budget Coalition, an alliance of labor, scientific, consumer, research, good government, faith, civil rights, community, health, environmental, and public interest groups, writes you to urge FY20 appropriations bills that are free from poison pill policy riders that harm the public.
No appropriations titles or package of bills, or continuing resolutions (should that be deemed the appropriate path to continue funding the government), should move forward if they contain poison pill policy riders that go against the public interest.
Unfortunately, such poison pill riders have existed as favors to corporate and special interests in previous appropriations cycles, and therefore a set of “legacy poison pills” must be removed from the FY20 appropriations bills. We ask that you take that stance as Congress processes the FY20 appropriations bills—keeping out new poison pills that harm the public and removing those that have become embedded.
Poison pill riders are unpopular and dangerous, and the public opposes the abuse of the budget process to roll back public protections. The budget should be funding the things that Americans care about, not undoing essential safeguards or being held hostage to non-starter demands for projects such as a border wall. The American people support policies to:
- Ensure safe and healthy food and products;
- Restrain Wall Street abuses;
- Secure our air, land, water and wildlife;
- Safeguard fair and safe workplaces;
- Guard against consumer rip-offs and corporate wrongdoing;
- Affirm the local fiscal and legislative sovereignty of the District of Columbia;
- Defend our campaign finance and election systems;
- Promote economic fairness in banking, housing and business;
- Provide access to justice and fair housing;
- Protect human and civil rights, including the rights of immigrants; and
- Guarantee continued access to vital health care services including comprehensive reproductive health care, among other things.
The public does not support slipping damaging poison pills into must-pass appropriations bills that would undo any of these protections as a means to win approval.
We urge Members of Congress to fully fund important programs and to reject any flawed bills that fail to remove poison pill policy riders that would undo essential public safeguards.
Sincerely,
20/20 Vision
AFL-CIO
AFSCME
Alaska Wilderness Action
American Association for Justice
American Bird Conservatory
Americans for Financial Reform
Animal Wellness Action
Autistic Self Advocacy Network
Bend the Arc Jewish Action
Catholics for Choice
Center for American Progress
Center for Biological Diversity
Center for Reproductive Rights
Center for Science in the Public Interest
Coalition on Human Needs
Coalition for Health Funding
Common Cause
Communications Workers of America
Consumer Action
Consumer Federation of America
DC Vote
Defenders of Wildlife
Democracy 21
Earthjustice
Endangered Species Coalition
Environmental Protection Network
GreenLatinos
Greenpeace USA
Harrington Investments, Inc.
Hispanic Federation
Humane Society Legislative Fund
Impact Fund
Innovative Green Builders
The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
International Fund for Animal Welfare
Jewish Council for Public Affairs
Jewish Women International
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
League of Conservation Voters
Main Street Alliance
NAACP
NARAL Pro-Choice America
National Association for College Admission Counseling
National Association of Consumer Advocates
National Center for Lesbian Rights
National Coalition for the Homeless
National Community Reinvestment Coalition
National Council of Jewish Women
National Employment Law Project
National Employment Lawyers Association
National Fair Housing Alliance
National Low Income Housing Coalition
National Partnership for Women & Families
National Women’s Law Center
Natural Resources Defense Council
NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice
New Jersey Association on Correction
New Progressive Alliance
Ocean Conservancy
Partnership for Policy Integrity
Planned Parenthood Federation of America
People for the American Way
People’s Action
Public Citizen
Public Justice Center
Public Knowledge
Rachel Carson Council
Safe Climate Campaign
SEIU
Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States
Sierra Club
Union of Concerned Scientists
The United State of Women
U.S. PIRG
Voices for Progress
Waterkeeper Alliance
The Wilderness Society
Woodstock Institute