WASHINGTON, D.C. – House Republicans plan to vote this week on a government funding extension through March 2025 that zeroes out election security grants and includes a harmful poison pill, the SAVE Act. That bill would require proof of citizenship for voting and make it far more difficult for many citizens to cast ballots. Lisa Gilbert, co-president of Public Citizen and co-chair of the Clean Budget Coalition, released the following statement: “Once again, House Republicans are letting MAGA extremists call […]

For Immediate Release: July 9, 2024 Contact: David Rosen, drosen@citizen.org WASHINGTON, D.C. – House Republican appropriators have added at least 475 new poison pills to their draft annual spending bills, according to the Clean Budget Coalition, which is tracking them. This is in addition to around 60 legacy poison pills held over from previous cycles. All of these harmful measures must be removed from any final FY 25 spending package, the coalition maintains. The 475 poison pill riders across the […]

The 160-Page-Long CJS Appropriations Bill Drafted by House Republicans Has Over 40 Pages of Poison Pills WASHINGTON, D.C. – One quarter of the House GOP’s Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) appropriations bill is nothing but poison pills, the Clean Budget Coalition found after reviewing bill text. Shockingly, the 160-page long CJS bill has more than 40 pages of poison pills that attack immigrants, gun safety, LGBTQ+ Americans, women’s health, diversity and inclusion efforts, our environment, anti-monopoly measures, trade […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – With Pride Month just getting started, House Republicans have added at least 15 poison pill policy riders to their draft spending bills that attack the LGBTQ+ community – with same-sex marriages, transgender Americans, drag queens, and pride flags among their growing list of culture war targets. The Clean Budget Coalition, which is tracking these measures, is calling on Congress to remove all of these harmful measures. So far, they include: Five poison pills that foster discrimination against […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – House Republican appropriators added approximately 80 new poison pill riders to their draft Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) spending bill. Lisa Gilbert, executive vice president of Public Citizen and co-chair of the Clean Budget Coalition, released the following statement: “From attacking abortion rights to making it more difficult to vote to meddling with local D.C. traffic laws, House Republicans have drafted a bill they know won’t pass. This bill is packed full of many of the […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – House Republicans have added at least 10 new poison pill policy riders to their draft Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies spending bill, according to the Clean Budget Coalition, which is tracking them. The new poison pills in the bill: Block executive orders on racial equity, diversity, and inclusion, the use of funding for offices to implement those policies, and bans Critical Race Theory; Ban gender affirming care and pride flags; Allow discrimination against same-sex marriages; […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congress should pass clean FY25 spending bills with no poison pill policy riders, more than 200 groups said today in a letter to congressional lawmakers. The letter calls for members of Congress to remember the lessons of the FY24 budget cycle.  “The FY24 federal budget negotiations were marred by frustrating delays that extended six months into the fiscal year, largely due to the persistent inclusion of policy riders and draconian cuts by House Majority lawmakers,” the letter […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]