Republicans Tank Their Own Bill Gutting Biden's Climate Plan - Newsweek

Republicans Tank Their Own Bill Gutting Biden's Climate Plan

A House GOP bill funding the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), rural development and Food and Drug Administration ( FDA) failed late Thursday night as 27 Republicans voted against it.

The bill, HR 4368, included a slew of amendments, one of which would gut President Joe Biden's climate plan, but some Republicans had enough issues with the bill that they voted against it. Passage of the bill was not required to avoid the looming government shutdown, but it comes as legislators face mounting stress to pass a short-term continuing resolution (CR) before current government funding expires on Saturday.

Biden has made climate change and the green energy transition a focus of his administration by getting legislation like the Inflation Reduction Act, which designates $369 billion toward that transition, passed. The administration also has taken smaller steps to reduce the nation's carbon footprint, such as establishing stricter regulations for gas stoves and dishwashers.

However, some Republicans have opposed what they see as excessive climate spending—as well as spending in other facets of the federal government—as they advocate for strict spending cuts.

HR 4368 included an amendment from Representative Kat Cammack, a Republican from Florida, that "prohibits funds in this act from being used to carry out Biden's climate change executive orders."

Newsweek reached out to the USDA by email for comment.

The USDA offers a variety of programs that support green energy, and in 2021, the department invested $464 million in renewable energy infrastructure to aid rural communities, businesses and ag producers. USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack commended the Biden-Harris administration for putting rural communities "at the heart of climate action and climate-smart solutions," according to a release announcing the investment.

The amendment to HR 4368 would restrict what the USDA could do with its funding, but the bill failed when more than two dozen Republicans voted against it, as well as all House Democrats. The vote was a far cry from achieving the narrow majority that the GOP needs to pass bills through the House. Depending on how many vote on a specific bill, the GOP can afford to lose only four votes if it hopes to pass legislation through the House.

Several of the Republicans who voted against the bill opposed it because it would limit access to mifepristone, a pill sometimes used during abortions. Part of HR 4368 proposed reversing a Biden administration rule that allows the pill to be sold in retail pharmacies and to be mailed when prescribed.

Some moderate Republicans vehemently voiced their opposition to the proposal and said they would vote against the bill based on that language alone.

"It'll be the reason why the bill doesn't pass on the floor," Representative Nancy Mace, a Republican from South Carolina, told The Hill. "If you don't like the drugs that the FDA approves, then fix the FDA, but this is not going to—it's only going to make women angrier in this country when we keep having these abortion arguments, when we haven't done anything for women."