November 21, 2024
United States Senate
U.S. House of Representatives
Dear Members of Congress,
The 64 undersigned groups write to you today to urge you to follow the Senate Appropriations Committee’s lead and advance bipartisan, sensible funding increases for environmental programs in Fiscal Year 2025 free of new poison pill policy riders or attacks on the historic climate and environmental progress in the Inflation Reduction Act.
2024 is on track to be the hottest year on record, as 2023 was before it. Following a year of record-breaking destruction from hurricanes, out-of-control wildfires, and extreme drought, it is critical that Congress meet its obligation to responsibly fund the government so that we can safeguard the health of our communities and protect our air, water, lands, wildlife, oceans, and climate. Though limited by harmful budget caps that inhibit environmental agencies’ impact, the bipartisan funding levels agreed to by the Senate Appropriations Committee would provide modest increases for critical agencies like EPA and DOI and allow them to continue performing their core functions of environmental protection. Similarly, Congress should follow the Senate Appropriations Committee’s bipartisan lead of not allowing any new anti-environmental poison pill riders into the final bills. Poison pill riders have no place in the appropriations process, would jeopardize keeping the government funded and running, and should be rejected.
While our groups believe that increased funding is necessary to truly meet the needs that science and justice demand, the appropriations process requires bipartisan support regardless of which party is in power. The only path forward for Fiscal Year 2025 spending bills, this year or next, is to follow the broadly bipartisan lead of the Senate Appropriations Committee and enact modest funding increases for environmental programs with no new poison pill policy riders or attacks on the Inflation Reduction Act’s groundbreaking climate and environmental programs.
We urge all members of Congress to follow their lead.
Sincerely,
| Alaska Wilderness League Action American Bird Conservancy American Rivers Animal Welfare Institute Appalachian Trail Conservancy Aquarium Conservation Partnership Carbon180 CCAN Action Fund Change the Chamber Clean Water Action Climate Action Campaign Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks Conservation Lands Foundation Defenders of Wildlife Detroit Green Skills Alliance Earthjustice Endangered Species Coalition Environmental Defense Fund Environmental Law & Policy Center Environmental Protection Network Environmental Working Group Friends of the Earth Action Green Science Policy Institute GreenLatinos Health Care Without Harm Healthy Ocean Coalition Hispanic Access Foundation Inland Ocean Coalition Interfaith Power & Light Kettle Range Conservation Group Kids for Saving Earth League of Conservation Voters |
Los Padres Forest Watch |