Springfield Standard

Congressman Eric Burlison (MO-07) announced he sent 270 funding elimination requests totaling over $564 billion to the House Committee on Appropriations.  

The requested cuts include $228 million for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality due to its misguided focus on “systemic racism,” $681 million for the Environmental Protection Agency’s Geographic Programs which advance “environmental justice” initiatives, and $115 million for the Reentry Employment Opportunities (REO) program which subsidizes “climate resilience” jobs for ex-convicts.

Burlison’s funding elimination proposals are part of a larger project with fellow conservatives in the House of Representatives. Burlison’s efforts received support from legislators including Representatives Andy Biggs, Scott Perry, Clay Higgins, Ralph Norman, Matt Rosendale, Dan Bishop, Eli Crane, Tom Tiffany, Michael Cloud, Josh Brecheen, Andrew Clyde, Andy Ogles, and Chip Roy. 

“Our national debt is rapidly approaching $32 trillion and yet, Democrats and President Biden want Congress to continue kicking the can down the road instead of addressing the root problem,” said Congressman Burlison. “Washington has a spending addiction, and it needs to end today. These proposed cuts would eliminate hundreds of millions in wasteful, woke, and weaponized spending that further divides our country.”  

Additionally, Burlison requested the elimination of $461 billion in funding for unauthorized programs which continue to receive taxpayer funding past their expiration date.

“House Rules prohibit appropriating funds for unauthorized programs,” Burlison said. “Yet in fiscal year 2022 alone, Congress spent hundreds of billions on these ‘zombie programs’ with almost half of them having expired over a decade ago. If these programs are truly important, Congress should make time to vote on reauthorizing them. It’s time to put the House back in order and cut the massive amount of waste in our federal government.”

Original source can be found here.