The Republican majority in the House of Representatives is making a concerted effort to cut funding for a range of offices within the Biden administration.
This move is being executed through a series of amendments attached to a government funding bill due for consideration this week.
The House is set to discuss the Financial Services and General Government fiscal year 2024 appropriations, a bill that outlines funding for the Treasury and the executive office of the President, among other departments. The Republicans are using this as a strategic opportunity to challenge the Biden administration on key progressive policy areas.
One such amendment, proposed by Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., seeks to stop funding for the office of Vice President Kamala Harris. Several other amendments are aimed at the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention. In a bold move, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., has proposed an amendment to reduce the salary of Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner Daniel Werfel to a mere $1.
The Offices of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (ODEIA) within the Biden administration have also been targeted by the GOP's cost-cutting proposals. Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., has proposed an amendment to defund the Treasury's ODEIA, while Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyo., has targeted the Office of Personnel Management with a similar amendment.
Freshman Rep. Russell Fry, R-S.C., has submitted an amendment to halt funding to the Treasury's Climate Hub, an office tasked with helping the department formulate and coordinate its strategy on climate change.
The House Republicans have committed to passing 12 individual spending bills for fiscal year 2024, each targeting a specific area of the federal government, in order to fund U.S. priorities.
The previous fiscal year concluded on September 30, and with Congress unable to reach an agreement in time, a short-term funding extension was passed, set to end on November 17.
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