In a recent legislative session, a number of House Republicans joined their Democratic counterparts in voting against several amendments aimed at eliminating the salaries of key officials in President Joe Biden's administration, as reported by Just the News.
These amendments were proposed by conservative members of the Republican caucus to the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2024. This act allocates funding to federal agencies related to the environment.
The proposed amendments sought to use the Holman Rule to effectively nullify the salaries of certain bureaucrats within the agencies covered by the appropriations bill. However, all such attempts were thwarted by bipartisan voting blocks that significantly outnumbered the supporters of these defunding measures.
Among the amendments proposed was one by Republican Representative Ralph Norman of South Carolina. His amendment aimed to reduce the salary of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan to a mere $1. However, this amendment was defeated in a 150-265 vote, with 60 Republicans siding with Democrats to reject the proposal, according to Just the News. Norman also proposed two additional amendments to cut the salaries of Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and Bureau of Land Management Director Tracy Stone-Manning to $1 each, but these too were unsuccessful.
The amendment concerning Haaland was defeated in a 156-263 vote, with 59 Republicans joining Democrats to vote against it. The amendment regarding Stone-Manning was similarly unsuccessful, falling short in a 159-259 vote, which saw 55 Republicans voting alongside Democrats.
Another amendment, proposed by Republican Representative Richard McCormick of Georgia, sought to reduce the salary of Matthew Tejada, who heads the EPAs Office of Environmental Justice, to $1. This amendment was also defeated in a 166-251 vote, with 47 Republicans siding with Democrats to reject it.
Republican Representative Eli Crane of Arizona proposed an amendment to cut the salary of Brenda Mallory, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, to $1. However, this amendment was also defeated in a 161-251 vote, with 49 Republicans joining Democrats to vote against it.
Further amendments were proposed by Republican Representatives Lauren Boebert of Colorado and Mary Miller of Illinois, aimed at reducing the salaries of Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Director Liz Klein and Deputy Assistant Administrator for EPAs pesticide programs office, Ya-Wei Li, respectively. Both amendments were defeated, with a significant number of Republicans voting alongside Democrats.
Despite the defeat of these amendments, not all conservative proposals were unsuccessful. McCormick introduced an amendment to "prohibit funds from implementing certain Executive Orders relating to environmental justice," which passed by a 217-202 margin.
Additionally, an amendment by Republican Representative Gary Palmer of Alabama designed to prevent the EPA from using federal funds to expand their stockpile of firearms, ammunition, and military-style equipment also passed, along with the agency's budget.
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