The League of Conservation Voters led 11 environmental organizations in sending the below letter to the House of Representatives urging the House of Representatives to remove anti-environmental provisions from H.R. 8580, the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2025. If these anti-environmental provisions are not removed from the final bill, then we urge members to vote NO on the bill, and the League of Conservation Voters will strongly consider including votes related to these amendments in our 2024 National Environmental Scorecard.

June 4, 2024

United States House of Representatives

Washington, D.C. 20515

Re: Remove anti-environmental provisions from H.R. 8580, the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2025, or Oppose the Bill

Dear Representative,

On behalf of our millions of members and supporters, the undersigned groups urge you to seek the removal of anti-environmental provisions in H.R. 8580, the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2025. Poison pill policy riders, including those that target the environment, have no place in government funding bills, and must be removed. Unfortunately, poison pills have been included in every bill produced by the House Appropriations Committee so far for Fiscal Year 2025. We urge the House to remove these anti-environmental attacks from these bills, including H.R. 8580, and if they remain, we urge members to vote NO on these bills.

H.R. 8580 includes several harmful poison pill riders that are unrelated to the funding focus of the bill. This bill blocks funding for a variety of executive orders on climate change that help reduce harmful pollution, advance environmental justice, jumpstart clean energy innovation and deployment, and accelerate the transition to a clean energy economy. The damaging effects of these riders would include hobbling our government’s ability to mitigate, prepare for, and respond to the threats posed by climate change. The bill also includes harmful riders blocking federal agencies’ efforts to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion, efforts critical for fully responding to the intersectional crises of climate change and racial justice. 

We are also concerned by spending cuts proposed in H.R. 8580. Top Defense Department officials from the previous three administrations have all cited the climate crisis as a top national security concern. Despite this, H.R. 8580 cuts $30 million from last year’s appropriations bill dedicated to addressing climate change and resilience projects at US military installations. Cutting this funding will leave our military more exposed to climate impacts like rising sea levels, hurricanes, erratic weather, and wildfires. 

Poison pill riders have no place in this bill. We urge the House of Representatives to remove these harmful provisions and undo these anti-climate spending cuts from H.R. 8580. If these anti-environmental attacks are not removed, we urge members to oppose this bill on these grounds.

Sincerely,

League of Conservation Voters
Alaska Wilderness League
Chesapeake Climate Action Network
Earthjustice
Environmental Defense Fund
Friends of the Earth Action
Interfaith Power & Light
Kids for Saving Earth
Moms Clean Air Force
Natural Resources Defense Council
Sierra Club