House GOP lays out demands in latest appropriations fight
Cami Mondeaux
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EXCLUSIVE — As House leaders continue negotiations to advance must-pass spending legislation ahead of the looming September deadline, rank-and-file Republicans are laying out new demands they say will act as a red line for their support on crucial reauthorization bills.
A group of at least 19 Republicans are threatening to withhold their support on the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Reauthorization Act unless reforms are made to rein in some of the measures utilized during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a letter sent to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) obtained by the Washington Examiner. Lawmakers accused the federal government of “fundamentally” failing in its response to the 2020 pandemic, openly questioning whether the spending legislation should be renewed altogether.
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“House Republicans should not bring such legislation to the floor for consideration either at all, or without desperately needed reforms to protect the American people from tyrannical, incompetent, and largely unchecked public health bureaucrats,” wrote Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), who is leading the effort.
The letter outlines a list of demands from the hard-line conservatives, which Roy notes is not all-inclusive, meaning more stipulations could be added in later discussions.
Among their top demands includes a spending cut to reduce PAHPA-related funding to pre-COVID-19 levels as well as prohibiting taxpayer dollars from going toward gain-of-function research, the letter states.
The letter specifically targets the government’s COVID-19 vaccine program, demanding “proper compensation” for those who say they have experienced negative effects from the vaccines “to ensure healthcare corporations are not given a free pass for any harms they may cause.” Such a deal would also require Congress to establish an independent commission to review vaccine liability and efficacy for future diseases.
Lawmakers are also pushing McCarthy to include measures in the reauthorization bill that would end all remaining COVID-19 vaccine mandates and establish restrictions that would halt the federal government from implementing similar mandates in the future.
The PAHPA was established in 2006 to implement a national federal health preparedness and response plan. Congress later reauthorized the spending legislation in 2013 and 2019, with the current reiteration set to expire at the end of September, marking the first reauthorization since the pandemic began three years ago.
The latest version of the PAHPA passed the House Energy and Commerce Committee last month along party lines after Democrats opposed the lack of provisions to address nationwide drug shortages. As a result, GOP leaders must rely on support from the House Freedom Caucus to pass the bill, putting McCarthy in a bind as he must wrangle every corner of his caucus to back the bill in order to advance the lower chamber. (McCarthy can only afford to lose four votes if all Democrats oppose the measure.)
“Failure to include these reforms risks not just the reauthorization of PAHPA altogether, but the support of our constituents who demand accountability,” the letter states. “We encourage House Republicans to come together to make further reforms to advance only a legislative package that protects the rights of all Americans, strengthens congressional oversight of the public health system, and ensures accountability for the failed COVID-19 response.”
The letter has so far garnered the support of 18 co-signers, including Reps. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Dan Bishop (R-NC), Josh Brecheen (R-OK), Andrew Clyde (R-GA), Byron Donalds (R-FL), Eli Crane (R-AZ), Paul Gosar (R-AZ), Ralph Norman (R-SC), Bob Good (R-VA), Mary Miller (R-IL), Lauren Boebert (R-CO), Matt Rosendale (R-MT), Clay Higgins (R-LA), Ben Cline (R-VA), Eric Burlison (R-MO), Warren Davidson (R-OH), and Andy Ogles (R-TN).
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The letter comes just days after House lawmakers left Washington, D.C., for its six-week recess despite a lengthy to-do list and lingering negotiations over must-pass spending legislation. House leaders said they would continue working over the break, although it remains unclear whether lawmakers will meet in person to do so.
The House managed to pass its military construction appropriations bill last week, advancing only one of 12 of its must-pass spending bills before leaving town and returning on Sept. 12. That leaves Congress with just 18 days upon its return to pass its budget and avert a government shutdown.