Five Things to Know About the Trump-GOP Rescissions Bill

June 6, 2018
Press Release

Tomorrow, the House is expected to consider H.R. 3, the Trump-GOP rescissions bill. Here are five important things to know: 

1. It eliminates funding for children’s health insurance without reinvesting in health care and human services for children and families. Just months after passing the Trump-GOP tax scam, which added more than $1.5 trillion to annual deficits, Republicans are proposing to eliminate more than $7 billion in funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program. Rescinding these funds prevents Congress from reinvesting them in other priorities like child and maternal health, early childhood education, biomedical research, community health centers, and other important initiatives.

2. It cuts funding for programs that create jobs and grow the economy in distressed communities and rural areas. The bill cuts funding for the Economic Development Administration and Community Development Financial Institutions, both of which play a critical role in creating jobs in distressed communities and rural areas.

3. It rescinds billions of dollars from transformational energy efficiency programs that create jobs in the clean energy sector. The bill rescinds billions of dollars from the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program and Title 17 Innovative Technology Loan Guarantee, which support job creation and economic growth.

4. It undermines carefully negotiated bipartisan spending agreements. The bill includes cuts to funding that was appropriated under the fiscal year 2017 omnibus, which was negotiated just over a year ago. It also reneges on the Bipartisan Budget Agreement from February by further restricting CHIP amounts that could be reinvested in future years. Upending bipartisan agreements poisons the well and makes future negotiations more difficult.

5. Republicans are rushing the bill to the floor with a broken process. There has been no consideration of the rescissions bill in the Appropriations Committee and the bill is being rushed to the floor less than 48 hours after the White House submitted the most recent version of its rescissions proposal. Instead of rubber-stamping President Trump’s rescissions package, Congress should conduct rigorous oversight to determine why the Trump administration has not spent these funds even as they misspend tax dollars on first class flights, fountain pens, and luxury dining sets.

A downloadable, one-page summary of the Trump-GOP rescissions bill is available here

115th Congress