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McClellan says no to MAGA Republicans’ funding bills in U.S. House vote

Rebecca Barnabi
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On Friday, Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan voted against three extreme government funding bills pushed by MAGA Republicans in the U.S. House.

McClellan, who represents Virginia’s District 4, voted against: H.R. 8752, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, H.R. 8771, the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, and H.R. 8774, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act.

“Extreme MAGA Republicans loaded down these must-pass bills with poison pill policy riders to advance their extreme culture war agenda, which threatens to weaken our national security, attack reproductive freedom, and strip protections from LGBTQI+ Americans,” McClellan said. “House Democrats stand ready and willing to work with our colleagues across the aisle to develop constructive bipartisan bills; House Republicans, however, refuse to seek compromise.”

The FY25 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act:

  • Fails to include the $4.6 billion President Biden requested for a Southwest Border Contingency Fund.
  • Limits Customs and Border Protection’s ability to manage an orderly and secure humanitarian response process.
  • Eliminates funding for Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention grants to communities seeking to prevent harmful targeted violence and terrorism acts.

The FY25 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS) Act:

  • Cuts funding levels by 12% below FY24 funding levels and $12 billion below the Biden-Harris Administration’s FY25 request.
  • Cuts $362 million below FY24 funding levels to improve maternal and child health and fight infectious diseases globally.
  • Prohibits funding to the Clean Technology Fund and the Green Climate Fund and hampers implementation of the Paris Agreement.

The FY25 Department of Defense Appropriations Act:

  • Eliminates the Department of Defense’s (DoD) ability to counter disinformation campaigns.
  • Includes amendments to attack reproductive health care, the LGBTQ+ community, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts in our Armed Forces.
  • Prevents service personnel from traveling to seek reproductive health care.
  • Prohibits the use of funds to implement several Executive Orders put in place to combat or mitigate the risks of the climate crisis.

“House Republicans’ extreme appropriations bills threaten our national security, undermine our military readiness, and jeopardize the safety of our communities,” McClellan said. “I will continue to oppose these reckless efforts and fight to ensure our federal agencies have the resources they need to operate effectively. I urge House Republicans to abandon their partisan politics and come to the negotiation table in good faith.”

Read the H.R. 8752 bill text and one-pager, the H.R. 8771 bill text and one-pager, and the H.R. 8774 bill text and one-pager.

Rebecca Barnabi

Rebecca Barnabi

Rebecca J. Barnabi is the national editor of Augusta Free Press. A graduate of the University of Mary Washington, she began her journalism career at The Fredericksburg Free-Lance Star. In 2013, she was awarded first place for feature writing in the Maryland, Delaware, District of Columbia Awards Program, and was honored by the Virginia School Boards Association’s 2019 Media Honor Roll Program for her coverage of Waynesboro Schools. Her background in newspapers includes writing about features, local government, education and the arts.