WASHINGTON, D.C. March 31, 2011 - On Thursday evening, Environment America joined a broad spectrum of 138 other advocacy organizations in calling on the White House and Senate Leadership to reject all policy riders in legislation to fund the government this year.
"This letter demonstrates the broad and diverse opposition to hijacking this funding bill with policy riders that threaten many aspects of Americans' health and well-being," said Anna Aurilio, Director of Environment America's Washington, D.C. office.
"This back-door means of legislating does not allow for adequate debate about the merits of such sweeping policy changes, which deserve full deliberation by both chambers in the course of the normal legislative process," read the letter.
The groups represent a range of issue areas, and include environmental organizations such as Environment America, Earthjustice, Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council and League of Conservation Voters; women's rights groups such as the Center for Reproductive Rights, League of Women Voters and Families USA; labor organizations such as SEIU, UAW and AFSCME; public interest organizations such as American Civil Liberties Union, Common Cause and Public Citizen; and many others.
The groups sent the letter to the White House and Senate Leadership as negotiations on a funding bill for FY11 continue, and urged the negotiators to "adopt a strict policy of rejecting all such provisions in subsequent 2011 spending bills, rather than negotiating one harmful rider against another."
Website: www.environmentamerica.org
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