House Bills Pose a Real Threat to Health and Environmental Safeguards

“This week the House is voting on three more ‘anti-regulatory’ measures — bills that pose a real threat to health and environmental safeguards we take for granted. With ‘Dad Joke’ worthy acronyms like The SCRUB Act, following earlier groaners like the REINS Act and the OIRA Act, the authors seem to believe a clever acronym can cover up a dangerous agenda.

“In fact, these bills fit neatly into the strategy recently described by top White House advisor Steve Bannon to ‘deconstruct’ government protections. Reports this week of proposed cuts to EPA funding by 24 percent, elimination of several programs, and drastic reductions in staff levels further underscore the broader agenda to gut mechanisms in place to protect the public. This is no laughing matter and Members of Congress should stand up to big polluters and vote against efforts to stymie federal enforcement of the protections we all count on.

“The real world impact of these bills will be a government that is slower and less effective at responding to public needs – on everything from clean air to healthy food to consumer safety. We’ll have more asthma attacks, more dangers lurking in our food, and more health risks for American families if these bills pass”.

            - Elizabeth Thompson, president of EDF Action