House Republicans Pass Extreme Funding Bill that Raises Energy Costs, Hurts U.S. Competitiveness, and Ignores the Climate Crisis

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, House Republicans voted to raise costs for American families by passing their extreme 2024 Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies funding bill. This bill includes harmful provisions that increase energy costs by cutting clean energy programs, fail to diversify energy production and storage, yield leadership of the global energy future to China, ignore the scientific consensus on climate change, and increase our dependence on foreign energy. House Democrats were united in their opposition, voting unanimously against the bill.

For 2024, the Energy and Water bill provides $54.2 billion, a decrease of $4.9 billion or 8.2 percent below 2023. Further, the bill’s domestic allocation is effectively 25.4 percent, $6.4 billion, below 2023 while its defense allocation is 3.5 percent, $1.1 billion, above 2023, creating a further disparity between domestic and defense programs. The legislation:

• Increases energy costs by cutting the Department of Energy’s clean energy programs that lower American families’ energy bills.
• Jeopardizes energy security by enabling Russia to continue weaponizing energy to destabilize global markets.
• Hurts U.S. Competitiveness by allowing competitors like China to monopolize markets for new energy technology.
• Fails to confront the climate crisis and create better-paying, clean energy jobs.

“The Department of Energy has a proven record of partnering to help drive down the costs of clean energy technologies, reducing every day energy costs to the benefit of Americans nationwide, creating good-paying jobs for the hardworking men and women of our country while uplifting families. This bill passed today along party lines includes substantial cuts and a myriad of controversial poison pill policy riders that show Republicans are not interested in serious governance or passing bills that can gain bipartisan support and be signed into law,” said Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development. “I am disappointed that this bill passed by the Majority today made deep cuts to efforts to deploy clean energy technologies that reduce burdensome energy costs on families and seniors, especially those struggling to make ends meet. These extreme budget cuts will stifle American innovation and impede these important initiatives, resulting in higher energy costs and increased dependence on foreign adversaries for energy supplies, taking us further away from our goals of energy independence. Republicans can't have it both ways when it comes to energy independence — if they cut spending at home, it will only continue to increase our dependence on foreign energy sources from abroad.”

Congresswoman Kaptur’s full remarks are here.

“For 22 days the House was frozen because of House Republicans' inability to elect a Speaker. In 22 days, Government funding runs out. Instead of working on bills that can earn the support of Democrats and Republicans in the House and the Senate—the support needed for these bills to become law—House Republicans are continuing down their path of passing extreme bills that raise costs for American families and do nothing to confront the climate crisis,” Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) said. “This Energy and Water funding bill cuts domestic energy investments by a staggering 25.4 percent, or $6.4 billion lower than last year, with the consequence of increasing energy costs for American families at a time when families are living paycheck to paycheck and struggling with the high cost of living. This bill undermines the growth and modernization of our energy infrastructure, weakens our national security, and would yield leadership of the world’s energy future to our greatest adversaries. I am ready to find common ground and pass bipartisan Appropriations bills immediately. I urge my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to end this charade and join me at the negotiating table.”

Congresswoman DeLauro’s full remarks are here.

Key provisions of the bill can be found here. The text and accompanying report of the legislation, before action on the House Floor, is available here. Information on Community Project Funding in the bill is here.

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