The White House is concerned that an Environmental Protection Agency spending bill making its way through the Senate this week goes too far in spending while including “objectionable” policies.
Although the Interior-EPA spending bill does support the Trump tax cuts and infrastructure priorities, it also takes significant action to undermine the administration’s policy agenda, said a White House Statement of Administration Policy issued Tuesday.
“The Administration is concerned, however, that this combined package is nearly $38 billion above the FY 2019 Budget request, includes certain objectionable policy provisions, and excludes important Administration policy priorities,” the statement said.
The Senate began debate on the EPA, Interior Department, and related spending bill package Monday night, after the House passed its version of the bill last week, ignoring most of the White House’s concerns about not meeting the administration’s fiscal 2019 funding reductions for EPA.
But if the Senate ignores the White House’s concerns, it will be going against the 2018 law that places a cap on spending that isn’t meant for defense and the military.
“The Administration recognizes that the problematic spending levels in the bills composing this package stem from the non-Defense discretionary cap set by the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (BBA), about which the Administration has repeatedly registered concern in multiple Statements of Administration Policy and other communications to the Congress since the BBA’s enactment,” the White House statement continued.
The administration points out that the bill would provide $8.8 billion for EPA, which is $2.7 billion above the administration’s fiscal 2019 budget request, and “includes funding for programs that are outside of the Agency’s core responsibilities.” One such program is the $418 million slated for the EPA Geographic Program. The program conducts local ecosystem protection activities that the White House believes state agencies can manage.
For the Interior Department, the White House says the Senate bill is $2.4 billion over the limit set by the administration. However, the White House does support the spending increases that the bill makes for the Interior Department’s energy-related programs.
“The Administration applauds the Committee’s commitment to energy development on public lands and in offshore waters, including additional resources for the Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement,” the statement reads.
New Mexico Sen. Tom Udall, the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee’s environment panel, said the Senate’s version of the bill “rejects” most of President Trump’s drastic cuts to programs meant to safeguard environmental and public lands.
Udall crafted the bill with Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, the Republican chairwoman of the environment subcommittee.
“It is Congress’ responsibility to safeguard the environment, protect our air and water, fulfill our trust and treaty responsibilities, and conserve public lands the federal government holds on behalf of the American people,” Udall said on the floor Monday evening. “These responsibilities require a reliable stream of resources to carry out,” he said. “This Senate bill accomplishes those goals.”
The bill also provides $425 million for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, funding for which has been a top Democratic priority.
Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby, the Republican chairman of the Appropriations Committee, thanked Murkowski and other subcommittee chairs on Tuesday for their work in moving the bipartisan bills.
“They have worked cooperatively with their Democratic counterparts and produced strong, bipartisan bills,” Shelby said.
