Amendments to the House Budget that made it (it isn't pretty

[Raj Ahten]

From the Washington Post

What budget-cutting amendments has the House passed this week?
By Felicia Sonmez

Updated: Saturday, 5:10 a.m.

Lawmakers this week proposed 583 amendments to a resolution funding the federal government through September. Ultimately 153 of those amendments were considered on the House floor and 67 of them ended up being adopted by the House.

The amendments range from one that would cut off funding for Obama administration "czars" to several aimed at defunding the national health-care law.

Below is our round-up of the amendments that passed. (Note: The funding resolution would have to pass the Democratic-controlled Senate and be signed into law by President Obama in order for the amendments to become law.)

Sponsor -- Amendment number -- Effect in current fiscal year

Rep. Tom Rooney (R-Fla.) -- #2 -- Eliminates $450 million in funding for F-35 Joint Strike Fighter alternative engine program.

Rep. Michael Michaud (D-Maine) -- #153 -- Shifts $80 million in funding from the Census Bureau to the Economic Development Administration.

Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) -- #368 -- Eliminates $34 million in funding for the National Drug Intelligence Center.

Rep. Rush Holt (D-N.J.) -- #12 -- Directs $20 million to implementation of the National Instant Criminal Background Check System Improvement Amendments Act.

Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) -- #125 -- Shifts $298 million from NASA Cross Agency Support to the COPS community policing program.

Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.) -- #297 -- Eliminates $1.9 million in the Bureau of Reclamation's water and related resources funding.

Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) -- #223 -- Shifts $510 million from research and development funds to firefighter assistance grant funding.

Rep. Dan Burton (R-Ind.) -- #30 -- Eliminates $2 million in funding for the Interior Department's Bureau of Land Management.

Ren. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.) -- #84 -- Eliminates $8.4 million in funding for the Environmental Protection Agency's Greenhouse Gas Registry.

Rep. Tom Reed (R-N.Y.) -- #379 -- Eliminates $10 million in funding for EPA, State and Tribal Assistance Grants.

Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) -- #196 -- Eliminates $20.5 million in funding for the National Endowment for the Arts.

Rep. Quico Canseco (R-Tex.) -- #249 - Eliminates $4.5 million in funding for the National Capital Arts and Cultural Affairs.

Rep. Tom Reed (R-N.Y.) -- #381 -- Eliminates $15 million in funding for the Presidio Trust Fund.

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) -- #276 -- Shifts $557 million in funding from school improvement grants and teacher quality grants to IDEA educational grants for children with disabilities.

Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) -- #532 -- Strikes language that prohibits the Department of Education from using the Alaska Native Education Equity Act and the Native Hawaiian Education Program.

Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.) -- #108 -- Eliminates $1.5 million in funding for the Greening the Capitol program.

Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) -- #100 -- Eliminates $42.6 million in funding for the United States Institute of Peace.

Rep. Quico Canseco (R-Texas) -- #248 -- Eliminates $10.7 million in funding for the East-West Center.

Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.) -- #291 -- Eliminates $20 million in funding for the Treasury Department's debt restructuring program.

Rep. Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) -- #334 -- Limits Urban Area Security Initiative grants to 25 high-risk urban areas.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-Fla.) -- #211 -- Provides $30 million to carry out the provisions of the PROTECT Our Children Act.

Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) -- #208 -- Prohibits the use of public funds for Presidential Election Campaign Fund or political party conventions, at an estimated savings of $40 million.

Rep. David Price (D-N.C.) -- #514 -- Waives cost-sharing requirements for the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grant program.

Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.) -- #404 -- Prohibits funds from being used to implement the Federal Communications Commission's net-neutrality rules.

Rep. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) -- #195 -- Stops the payment of legal fees to citizens and groups who sue the government.

Rep. John Carter (R-Tex.) -- #165 -- Prohibits the use of funds to enforce an EPA rule on cement manufacturing emissions.

Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) -- #204 -- Eliminates funding of federal agency "czars," at an estimated savings of at least $1.5 million.

Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.) -- #424 -- Prohibits U.S. military assistance to Chad due to its continued use of child conscription.

Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.) -- #23 - Increases Health and Human Services HIV-AIDS funding by $42 million.

Rep. John Kline (R-Minn.) -- #214 -- Prohibits funds for the Department of Education Regulations on Gainful Employment.

Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) -- #11 -- Prohibits funds from being made available for any purpose to Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. or any of its affiliates.

Rep. Don Young (Alaska) -- #533 -- Prohibits funds from being used by the Environmental Appeals Board to block air pollution permits required for offshore drilling projects along the Arctic Coast.

Reps. Ted Poe (R-Tex.), Joe Barton (R-Tex.) and John Carter (R-Tex.) -- #466 -- Defines specifically what greenhouse gases are and prohibits the Environmental Protection Agency from imposing regulations on those gasses emitted by stationary sources.

Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.) -- #575 -- Prohibits funds from being used to pay any employee, officer, or contractor to implement the national health-care law.

Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) -- #267 -- Prohibits funds in the government funding resolution from being used to carry out the provisions of the national health-care law.

Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) -- #268 -- Prohibits funds in the government funding resolution from being used to pay any federal employee to implement the national health-care law.

Rep. Mary Jo Emerson (R-Mo.) -- #83 -- Prohibits funds from being used to implement the individual mandate and penalties and reporting requirements of the health-care law.

Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.) -- #409 -- Prohibits funds from be used to carry out the medical loss ratio restrictions in the health-care law.

Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.) -- #296 -- Prohibits funds from being used to implement the Klamath Dam Removal and Sedimentation Study.

Rep. Wally Herger (R-Calif.) -- #177 -- Bars funds from implementing the Travel Management Rule relating to the designation of roads and trails in the National Forest System.

Rep. Dan Boren (D-Okla.) -- #566 - Bars funds from being used to require manufacturers to report to the Justice Department on the sale of multiple guns to one person.

Rep. Randy Forbes (R-Va.) -- #145 -- Prohibits the use of any funds in the closure or realignment of the United States Joint Forces Command.

Rep. Randy Forbes (R-Va.) -- # 146 -- Bars the use of Defense Department funds for parties, dinners and official functions for senior defense officials.

Rep. Bill Johnson (R-Ohio) -- #498 - Bars funding to enforce regulations published by the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation.

Rep. Tom Reed (R-N.Y.) -- #583 - Prohibit the use of funds for Overseas Comparability Pay Adjustment.

Rep. Jim Matheson (D-Utah) -- #38 -- Prohibits the use of funds for the Department of Agriculture's Community Connect broadband grant program.

Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) -- #467 - Prohibits funding to implement plans for the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

Rep. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) -- #79 -- Prohibits funding to promote or regulate Health Care Exchanges.

Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) -- #126 -- Prohibits the use of funds for assistance to Saudi Arabia.

Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) -- #101 -- Prohibits the use of funds to provide nonrecourse marketing assistance loans for mohair.

Rep. Tom Rooney (R-Fla.) -- #13 - Prohibits funding to implement new Florida Water Quality Standards.

Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.) - #8 - Prohibits funding for renovations or rental of the United Nations Headquarters in the United States.

Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) -- #377 -- Prohibits USDA funds from being used for construction of ethanol blender pump or storage facilities.

Rep. Ralph Hall (R-Texas) -- #495 -- Prohibits funds to implement a NOAA Climate Service, which was proposed by Dept of Commerce in Feb 2010.

Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-Va.) -- #109 -- Bars funds for EPA guidelines on surface coal mining operations.

Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.) -- #548 -- Prohibits funds from going toward issuing federal permits for harvesting fish for any fishery under the jurisdiction of the South Atlantic, Mid-Atlantic, New England, or Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council.

Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-Mo.) -- #47 -- Prohibits funds for the study of Missouri river projects.

Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-Mo.) -- #149 -- Prohibits the use of funds for the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Rep. John Sullivan (R-Okla.) -- #94 - Prohibits funding EPA waivers for ethanol content of gasoline.

Rep. David McKinley (R-W.Va.) -- #216 -- Prohibits funds from being to be used by the EPA to revoke a permit under the Clean Water Act.

Rep. David McKinley (R-W.Va.) -- #217 -- Bars funding for the EPA to regulate fossil fuel combustion waste.

Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.) -- #545 - Prohibits funds from being used to carry out the Consumer Product Safety Commission's authorization to create a consumer product safety information database.

Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Texas) -- #200 - Prohibits funds from being used to pay the salary of any officer or employee of the HHS Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight (CCIIO), which administers insurance provisions created in the national health care law.

Rep. Kristi Noem (R-S.D.) -- #563 -- Prohibits the use of funds to modify the national primary ambient air quality standards applicable to coarse particulate matter (dust).

Rep. Joe Pitts (R-Pa.) -- #430 -- Prohibits the use of funds to pay for the salary of any officer or employee of the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Labor, or the Department of the Treasury who takes any action to specify or define essential benefits as required in the national health care law.

Rep. Nan Hayworth (R-N.Y.) -- #567 - Prohibits the use of funds to implement the Independent Payment Advisory Board.

Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Texas) -- #154 -- Prohibits Department of Education from enforcing the restrictions placed on Texas concerning Federal Education Funds.

Most of these amendments fall into two categories: those sabotaging the health care bill and those sabotaging environmental regulation. Mountain top removal mining is getting a boost along with concrete plants and others. I imagine if we look at all at campaign contributions to those who sponsored the amendments we will find they got their payouts. As a Virginian I find it nice that they cut all funding to implementing Chesapeake bay restoration implementation. Farmers dumping shit and fertilizer everywhere beats out fisheries I suppose. Also a lot of cuts to various studies that would probably have inconvenient findings, mostly in the area of fisheries, water quality and global warming. Overall the bastards are scratching the backs of their corporate masters, which is what most of us expected.

[Singer]

Reading through that list is a good way to lower your morale. I can see that my Texas representatives aren't disappointing anyone in terms of expectations (sadly but unsurprisingly).

[Rogue 9]

Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.) -- #548 -- Prohibits funds from going toward issuing federal permits for harvesting fish for any fishery under the jurisdiction of the South Atlantic, Mid-Atlantic, New England, or Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council.

Wait a minute. So he wants to bar the issuing of further fishing permits? That seems... rather anti-Tea Party, honestly; you'd think they'd want unrestricted fishing, not a hard cut-off at current fishing levels.

[The Duchess of Zeon]

I think his goal is to allow unpermitted fishing and he just doesn't understand how the world works.

To be honest though there's only 4 - 5 of those amendments we really NEED to kill at the level of the Senate. The US is broke, though, and since we can't raise taxes I do agree in principle with the idea of vast cuts; eliminate those amendments and restore funding to Planned Parenthood and we can live with the result. Saving 185 billion or so in the next year will not be a bad thing, even if it just a pittance toward the overall deficit at this point. It's better than increases in spending. I'm sick of this country living beyond its means.

[Thanas]

I think his goal is to allow unpermitted fishing and he just doesn't understand how the world works.

To be honest though there's only 4 - 5 of those amendments we really NEED to kill at the level of the Senate. The US is broke, though, and since we can't raise taxes I do agree in principle with the idea of vast cuts; eliminate those amendments and restore funding to Planned Parenthood and we can live with the result. Saving 185 billion or so in the next year will not be a bad thing, even if it just a pittance toward the overall deficit at this point. It's better than increases in spending. I'm sick of this country living beyond its means.

Shouldn't have advocated for so many wars back then. Turns out these cost money.



And a lot of these cuts are going to cost a lot more in the long run, for example not cleaning up the environment etc. This is basically political posturing with very little benefits. And I am sure completely defunding the healthcare system is going to be a great thing.

[General Zod]

I think his goal is to allow unpermitted fishing and he just doesn't understand how the world works.

To be honest though there's only 4 - 5 of those amendments we really NEED to kill at the level of the Senate. The US is broke, though, and since we can't raise taxes I do agree in principle with the idea of vast cuts; eliminate those amendments and restore funding to Planned Parenthood and we can live with the result. Saving 185 billion or so in the next year will not be a bad thing, even if it just a pittance toward the overall deficit at this point. It's better than increases in spending. I'm sick of this country living beyond its means.

Shouldn't have advocated for so many wars back then. Turns out these cost money.



And a lot of these cuts are going to cost a lot more in the long run, for example not cleaning up the environment etc. This is basically political posturing with very little benefits. And I am sure completely defunding the healthcare system is going to be a great thing.

A lot of these so-called cuts aren't even really cuts, they're reductions in projected increases. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/20/opini ... ml?_r=1&hp

[Simon_Jester]

I think his goal is to allow unpermitted fishing and he just doesn't understand how the world works.

To be honest though there's only 4 - 5 of those amendments we really NEED to kill at the level of the Senate. The US is broke, though, and since we can't raise taxes I do agree in principle with the idea of vast cuts; eliminate those amendments and restore funding to Planned Parenthood and we can live with the result. Saving 185 billion or so in the next year will not be a bad thing, even if it just a pittance toward the overall deficit at this point. It's better than increases in spending. I'm sick of this country living beyond its means.

Shouldn't have advocated for so many wars back then. Turns out these cost money.

The wars weren't the problem. The tax cuts were. We'd still be in structural deficit country and seriously in debt now, even without the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Not that the wars helped, granted... but so far as I know, no one budget item had as much impact on the federal budget these past ten years as the Bush tax cuts.




And a lot of these cuts are going to cost a lot more in the long run, for example not cleaning up the environment etc. This is basically political posturing with very little benefits. And I am sure completely defunding the healthcare system is going to be a great thing.[/quote]