The House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday advanced a $46.4 billion spending bill covering energy and water programs, defying requests from President TrumpDonald John TrumpThe Hill’s Morning Report – White House, Congress: Urgency of now around budget GOP presses Trump to make a deal on spending Democrats wary of handing Trump a win on infrastructure MORE to slash spending.
The bill was approved by the Democratic-led panel in a mostly party-line 31-21 vote.
“This bill rejects the President’s drastic and short-sighted proposed cuts to key energy and water programs, including a 12% decrease to the Department of Energy, a 31% decrease to the Army Corps of Engineers, and a 28% decrease to the Bureau of Reclamation,” said Rep. Marcy KapturMarcia (Marcy) Carolyn KapturDems walk Trump trade tightrope Democrats advance spending bills boosting EPA, defying Trump House Dems propose billions in extra funding for environmental programs that Trump sought to cut MORE (D-Ohio), who chairs the Subcommittee on Energy and Water.
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The bill, for example, upped spending on advanced energy research through ARPA-E, a program Trump wanted to eliminate completely, by $59 million.
It also included a $665.7 million increase for the National Nuclear Security Administration under the Department of Energy, which largely went toward nuclear weapons.
Republicans on the committee voiced concern that the bill did not spend enough on the nation’s nuclear program, that it did not fund the nuclear repository at the Yucca Mountain site in Nevada, and that it was rushing ahead before final spending caps had been agreed upon.
“While the bill includes resources to strengthen our energy and water infrastructure, it does so at unsustainable funding levels, and we do not yet have agreement by Republicans and Democrats in the House, the Senate, and the White House on a budget framework,” said Rep. Kay GrangerNorvell (Kay) Kay GrangerOvernight Defense: Lawmakers on edge over Iran tensions | Questions rise after State pulls personnel from Iraq | Senators demand briefing | House panel advances 0B Pentagon spending bill | Warren offers plan on climate threats to military Democrats advance spending bills boosting EPA, defying Trump House panel advances 0B Pentagon spending bill that limits border wall efforts MORE (R-Texas), the full committee’s ranking member.
Leaders from both parties and both chambers met on Tuesday to hammer out a budget caps deal, and said significant progress had been made, though they failed to agree on a final deal.