House Approves EPA FY17 Bill With Additional Budget Cuts, Policy Riders

摘要

House lawmakers have over many Democrats' objections approved a fiscal year 2017 funding bill for EPA that includes additional budget cuts and prohibitions on major agency policies not contained in the originally introduced version of the measure, though the legislation faces a White House veto threat over many provisions. The bill for EPA and other interior and environment agencies approved July 14, H.R. 5538, would cut EPA's budget by $164 million from the currently enacted $8.14 billion level down to $7.98 billion. The bill cleared on a 231-196 vote July 14, with three Democrats supporting passage and 15 Republicans voting against it. Democratic opposition in both the Senate and the White House still poses a potentially insurmountable obstacle to passing any version of the House-proposed legislation.