I'm writing to ask you to support critical amendments to the “Fiscal Responsibility Act” that passed the House on May 31, and to pass a clean, or clean-er, debt ceiling bill.
As you know, negotiations between President Biden and Speaker McCarthy have resulted in a debt ceiling bill called the “Fiscal Responsibility Act.” Unfortunately, the legislative text released over the weekend forces completion of the Mountain Valley Pipeline, guts core environmental protections like NEPA, hamstrings agencies, shrinks social safety nets, and harms communities.
Exempting the Mountain Valley Pipeline from the law and judicial due process, in particular, is an extraordinary and unconscionable poison pill. Senator Kaine of Virginia has already offered to introduce an amendment to remove this unnecessary piece of the bill. Where possible, other Senators are expected to introduce amendments to protect core environmental protections, social safety nets, and restore needed funding to agencies like the IRS.
I'm asking you to support these efforts, and to support amendments that will clean up the dirty, cruel, and unnecessary parts of the bill. Nobody wants a default, but there's no reason the bill can't be amended and improved by the Senate before final passage.
First sent on June 1, 2023 by Jess Craven
