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Tonight, House Appropriations Interior Subcommittee Ranking Member Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) is leading the House Democratic Caucus’s opposition on the floor, where she is pushing back on numerous extreme poison pill Republican amendments. Republicans’ bill takes an aggressive anti-environment, pro-pollution stance with crippling cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and policy provisions that will endanger public health, strain the economy, and increase costs for Americans. The bill also slashes funding for National Parks and arts programs.

“As the Fifth National Climate Assessment confirms, the effects of human-caused climate change are already far reaching and worsening across every region of the United States. With that understanding, cutting funding for the Environmental Protection Agency by $1.8 billion or 20% is irresponsible and severely impacts needed investments in environmental justice, enforcement and climate change,” Pingree said on the House floor. “If we are going to preserve the health of our environment and our economic well-being being, we need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase our efforts to respond to and mitigate against harmful climate impacts.”

Click here to watch Pingree’s full remarks. A complete transcript is available below.

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As ranking member of the Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee, I'm deeply concerned that the majority has once again put forward an interior bill that debilitates America's ability to address the climate crisis, and it hobbles the agencies within its jurisdiction. Climate change is a clear and present danger, and experts agree that we must take bold action to avoid major, irreversible catastrophe. So I'm greatly disappointed and frustrated by the bill before us that completely disregards the reality of a warming planet and ignores the need for us to do more, not less.

As the Fifth National Climate Assessment confirms, the effects of human-caused climate change are already far reaching and worsening across every region of the United States. With that understanding, cutting funding for the Environmental Protection Agency by $1.8 billion or 20% is irresponsible and severely impacts needed investments in environmental justice, enforcement and climate change. If we are going to preserve the health of our environment and our economic well-being being, we need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase our efforts to respond to and mitigate against harmful climate impacts.

This bill also curtails the progress that has been made to ensure that all people are equally protected from environmental and health hazards. The bill abandons our most vulnerable groups that currently bear a disproportionate share of negative environmental impacts, which includes large swaths of rural communities that I and many of my colleagues across the aisle represent. 

 The bill also slashes funding for land management agencies. The National Park Service alone is cut by $210 million. This cut will mean fewer park rangers to protect and preserve the park's natural and cultural resources and will negatively impact on the visitor experience. Funding for cultural institutions such as the Smithsonian and the National Gallery of Art are also significantly reduced, and the Smithsonian may be forced to consider reducing the number of hours or days each week that the museums are open to the public when our constituents bring their families to see our nation's capital. I think all members in this room expect that they should have access to these museums, but this bill could take that away. The arts have incredible value as a positive tool for economic development, education, and community building. And I will strenuously oppose these cuts in the final spending agreement. 

There are areas of bipartisanship, though, and I want to commend Chairman Simpson's work on wildland fire. The bill includes authorizing language and funding necessary for the administration to carry out its permanent pay reforms for federal wildland firefighters. This is something we agree on, and I am pleased the bill addresses this important issue. I'm also proud of our work to address treaty and trust obligations on a bipartisan basis. 

Unfortunately, though, once again, House Republicans have loaded up the bill with widely unpopular policy riders. This year, they've included a whopping 92 poison pill riders that cripple environmental protection, undermine climate change policies, and add to the national deficit. 

A majority of Americans support the United States, taking steps to become carbon neutral by 2050, and they support taking responsibility for future generations. The austere and irresponsible cuts in this bill do not align with America's values. We need to rise to this challenge and not squander the opportunity to make the planet better for our children and grandchildren. I oppose the bill. I urge my colleagues to oppose the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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