THE DAILY WHIP: FRIDAY, JUNE 10, 2016

H.Con.Res. 89 – Expressing the sense of Congress that a carbon tax would be detrimental to the United States economy (Rep. Scalise – Ways and Means)(One hour of debate).  The resolution expresses the sense of Congress that a carbon tax would be “detrimental to American Families and businesses, and is not in the best interest of the United States.” This partisan resolution has no democratic co-sponsors and condemns tax policy that that would be helpful in curbing the carbon pollution emissions that contribute to global warming.  Not only do House Republicans constantly target the environment with their anti-Clean Air Act legislation and try to tie the hands of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), but they refuse to listen to hard scientific facts about the need to maintain policy tools and strategies to address harmful greenhouse gas emissions.

Bill Text for H.Con.Res. 89:
PDF Version

H.Con.Res. 112 – Expressing the sense of Congress opposing the President's proposed $10 tax on every barrel of oil (Rep. Boustany – Ways and Means) (One hour of debate). The Resolution expresses the sense of Congress that a new tax should not be placed on oil, cherry-picking a portion of the President’s budget proposal to impose a $10 per barrel tax on oil to help fund our nation’s infrastructure. Throughout the United States, cities and towns are facing aging infrastructure and are in need of funds to repair unsafe and crumbling roads and bridges.  This resolution advocates keeping oil revenues at current levels without providing a solution to finance infrastructure projects in the United States.   

Bill Text for H.Con.Res. 112:
PDF Version

Complete Consideration of H.R. 5325 – Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2017 (Rep. Graves (GA) – Appropriations).  This bill appropriates $1.19 billion for the operations of the U.S. House of Representatives, as well as $2.29 billion for other legislative branch agencies and programs affiliated with the House, like the Capitol Police, the Library of Congress, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), and the Government Printing Office.  While it contains a 1.5% increase to Members’ Representational Allowance, it also contains a measure that continues to freeze the salaries of Members of Congress, preventing any pay increase for FY 2017.

It increases funds for the U.S. Capitol Police and the Library of Congress, while flat funding the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), all of which are below the requested levels. Funding for the Government Accountability Office (GAO) is $2.1 million more than the FY 2016 enacted level, but $34.7 million short of its request.  Funding for the Architect of the Capitol is increased by $23 million more than the FY 2016 enacted level, but $54.2 million less than requested.

While the overall allocation is higher than it has been in previous years, H.R. 5325 is using some of that allocation to continue partisan witch-hunts like the Benghazi Committee which has spent more than $6.5 million taxpayer dollars and the Select Panel to Attack Women’s Health which Republicans refuse to disband despite having found no evidence of wrongdoing by Planned Parenthood or any other health care provider. Also, House Republicans have allocated resources under this bill to defend the Defense of Marriage Act and to sue the President over the Affordable Care Act.

Additionally, the Committee Report for this measure includes ideological language that seeks to influence the Library of Congress (LOC) to continue to use the term “Illegal Alien” in its subject headings, despite LOC’s March decision to use “noncitizen” and “unauthorized immigration” in its place. The LOC uses a well-documented, thorough process in which they use headings that reflect current day uses of words or phrases in order to make information easily accessible to users.  Ranking Member Wasserman Schultz offered an amendment in full Committee Markup to strip the provision that forces the LOC to continue to use the term “Illegal Alien.”  The amendment failed by a vote of 24-25 with four Republicans voting in favor of the amendment. Members are urged to VOTE NO.

The Rule makes in order no further general debate. As of last night, the House had completed debate through the Flores/Blackburn/Walker amendment.  The following amendments remain to be debated:

Gosar Amendment #1. Prohibits any funds for delivering printed copies of the United States House of Representatives Telephone Directory to the office of any Member of the House of Representatives.
Gosar Amendment #2. Prohibits any funds for delivering printed copies of the President's Budget to the office of any Member of the House of Representatives.
Grayson Amendment. Expands the list of parties with whom the federal government is prohibited from contracting due to serious misconduct on the part of the contractors.
Takano/Esty/Foster/Lujan Amendment. Appropriates $2.5 million to re-institute the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA), offset from funds from the Architect of the Capitol's Capital Construction and Operations Account.
Russell Amendment. Prohibits use of funds under this Act to be used to deliver a printed copy of the Federal Register to a Member of the House of Representatives.
Pearce Amendment. Reduces the Office of Congressional Ethics budget to FY16 levels and transfers remaining funds to the spending reduction account.

The following amendments have recorded votes pending as of last night:

       Ellison/Grijalva Amendment
       Blackburn Amendment

Bill Text for H.R. 5325:
PDF Version

Background for H.R. 5325:
House Report (HTML Version)
House Report (PDF Version)