Legacy Riders Removed from FY23 Senate Appropriations Bills
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Dozens of legacy poison pill policy riders were removed from the draft appropriations bills released today by U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.). The bills also had robust funding levels essential for programs and projects that help the American people. Lisa Gilbert, executive vice president of Public Citizen and co-chair of the Clean Budget Coalition, released the following statement:
“Poison pills that attack women’s health, fuel corruption, and harm our environment have no place in the annual spending bills, and it’s a win for the public that Senate Democrats have removed so many of these measures from their FY23 appropriations bills. These unrelated measures should never have been part of the annual funding packages, and its long past time for them to be removed.
“The House is currently working to pass its own legacy rider-free versions of the bills, and leaders in both chambers must remain committed to keeping these poison pills out of the final spending packages when they are negotiated with Republicans later this year. Thanks to their good work on these initial bills, lawmakers will be in a stronger position to insist on clean spending bills in the final deal.”