House Accountability War Room

Memo: Most Extreme MAGA Poison Pills

Led by Speaker Mike Johnson, MAGA extremists in the U.S. House of Representatives are barreling our country toward a government shutdown once again in an effort to get their extreme agenda into the funding bill, including extreme abortion bans and slashing programs that millions of Americans rely on.

How do we know they’ll push for ultra-conservative poison pills? They’ve told us.

Speaker Johnson said the current topline funding agreement allows House Republicans to “fight for the important policy riders included in our House FY24 bills” and that GOP leaders are “putting ourselves in a position to go argue for our priorities, our riders on the spending bills.”

Their threat to shutdown the government is not hollow. Many extreme House Republicans have explicitly said they do not fear a shutdown if their extreme demands are not met.

These extreme MAGA priorities are not only harmful to Americans from all walks of life, they are deeply unpopular. Two in three Americans agree that it’s never right to shut down the federal government, with even greater opposition when Republicans are doing it to push their ideological demands. Additionally, at least three in four Americans oppose Republicans’ proposed cuts. 

The American people agree that there can be only one way forward: no cuts, no poison pills.

Below are some of the most egregious poison pills extreme House Republicans are trying to push.

  • Restrict abortion access, including for veterans and active military, and limit access to the abortion medication mifepristone. (See backup below: Agriculture, Rural Development, Food And Drug Administration Appropriations Bill, Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, Department Of Defense Appropriations Bill, Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Bill, Homeland Security Appropriations Bill, Labor, Health And Human Services, Education, And Related Agencies Appropriation Bill, Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, And Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, and State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Bill.)
  • Allow discrimination against LGBTQ+ people, including same-sex marriage and eliminating the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act grants. (See backup below: all 12 appropriations bills.)
  • Limit Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs, including blocking executive orders on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. (See backup below: Agriculture, Rural Development, Food And Drug Administration Appropriations Bill, Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, Department Of Defense Appropriations Bill, Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Bill, Homeland Security Appropriations Bill, Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, Labor, Health And Human Services, Education, And Related Agencies Appropriation Bill, Legislative Branch Appropriations Bill, Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, And Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Bill, and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill.)
  • Undercut efforts to combat climate change, including studying climate change and resiliency, the procurement of electric vehicles and climate-related improvements at federal facilities, and the promotion of Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) investment criteria. (See backup below: Agriculture, Rural Development, Food And Drug Administration Appropriations Bill, Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, Department Of Defense Appropriations Bill, Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Bill, Homeland Security Appropriations Bill, Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, Labor, Health And Human Services, Education, And Related Agencies Appropriation Bill, Legislative Branch Appropriations Bill, Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, And Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Bill, and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill.)
  • Make it more difficult to vote, by blocking the implementation of President Biden’s Executive Order on Promoting Access to Voting, which directs federal agencies to consider steps they could take to increase voter participation. (See backup below: Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Bill, Homeland Security Appropriations Bill, and Labor, Health And Human Services, Education, And Related Agencies Appropriation Bill)
  • Undermine efforts to reduce the danger posed by firearms, including blocking red flag laws/extreme risk protection orders, eliminating reporting requirements for gun dealers, blocking the Department of Health and Human Services from declaring a public health emergency related to guns, blocking executive orders on reducing gun violence, blocking any efforts to regulate untraceable “ghost guns,” blocking the ATF from regulating lethal firearm attachments like stabilizing braces, prohibiting the study of any future actions that could be interpreted as a restriction on firearms, and blocking the CDC’s firearm injury and mortality prevention research. (See backup below: Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Bill, Labor, Health And Human Services, Education, And Related Agencies Appropriation Bill)
  • Prevents the Department of Education from implementing regulations to lessen the burden of student loans. (See backup below: Labor, Health And Human Services, Education, And Related Agencies Appropriation Bill)

 

Click here to read the full memo, including backup information.

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