Coalition Urges NV Lawmakers to Fight Federal Budget Cuts Affecting Families and the Environment

LAS VEGAS  – Twelve public health, labor and environmental groups today urged Nevada’s lawmakers to reject efforts by President Trump and congressional allies to weaken federal protections in upcoming budget battles for Nevada veterans, seniors, consumers, women, and their health and environment.

In a letter to Nevada’s House and Senate members, the groups called for the Fiscal Year 2018 budget to stay free of harmful add-on measures undermining crucial safeguards and services for Nevadans.

They also urged the delegation to disregard the steep cuts Trump has proposed. Trump seeks to slash federal funding that goes to Nevada for public health conservation, low-income energy aid, weatherization assistance, and for clean air and water.

“The cuts President Trump proposes should be dismissed out of hand. Nevadans rely on these and other programs and services which support economic activity, natural beauty and quality of life – they should receive more funds, not less,” the groups wrote. “We…urge you to provide ample funding, and ensure that upcoming spending bills do not take important resources away from Nevadans through cuts, policy riders, or other means.”

The letter was signed by Battle Born Progress; Chispa Nevada, For Nevada’s Future; Mi Familia Vota; Nevada Advocates for Planned Parenthood Affiliates; Nevada Conservation League; Natural Resources Defense Council; Planned Parenthood; Mar Monte; Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada; Sierra Club Toiyabe Chapter; UNITE HERE Culinary Workers Union Local 226; and Voces Verdes.

The letter identifies eight areas Trump has targeted for steep cutbacks including:

  • Cutting $800 billion from Medicaid, which  would devastate access to health care in Nevada, and the 400,000 Nevadans able to access health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.
  • Slashing clean drinking water funding for rural communities that amounted to grants of more than $38 million for Nevada between FY 2009 and 2016.
  • Canceling the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act balance, which was scheduled to provide the Las Vegas area with $230 million for capital improvements, restoration, recreation and conservation.
  • Gutting important clean energy programs at the Department of Energy, while providing a slight bump to nuclear clean up, and then including $120 million to revive the abandoned, flawed and unwanted Yucca Mountain licensing process.
  • Drastically reducing by more than 31 percent the Environmental Protection Agency’s funding and ability to protect Nevada’s air quality, which makes the air easier to breathe for 176,240 adults and 44,927 children in Nevada diagnosed with asthma.

The full text of the letter follows:

Our organizations, on behalf of our members in Nevada, urge you to ensure that federal spending for fiscal year 2018 provide needed funding increases and remain free of harmful policy riders. Funding cuts and policy riders that undermine protections and services for Nevada’s veterans, public health, environment, consumers, workers, seniors and women have no place in these bills and we urge you to oppose any effort to include them. 

Nevadans expect, and depend on a government capable of protecting our health, safety and welfare. Many federal programs that meet these important needs have already had funding slashed in previous years.  These programs are again at risk, both from the Trump administration’s proposed budget cuts, and from some members of congress who wish to attach “policy riders” or last-minute policy changes onto funding bills. These riders block, weaken, or eliminate specific federal programs are used because they would never have enough support to pass as individual policies.

Our organizations believe that any funding bills with ideological riders and budget cuts to essential services should be firmly opposed.

Federal funding ensures that the government and its agencies provide the American people with the services they rely on to keep our nation running. Yet President Trump’s proposed 2018 budget proposes massive cuts to programs and services critical to Nevadans and their quality of life. Targets of budget cuts include:

  • Limiting health care access for Nevada women.  Rural Nevada lost 70% of its family planning grants last year.  Less than 10% of the Nevada women who need safety net care for family planning can access it.
  • Cutting $800 billion to Medicaid, a move that would devastate access to health care in Nevada, and the 400,000 Nevadans able to access health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.
  • Slashing clean drinking water funding for rural communities that amounted to grants of more than $38 million for Nevada between FY 2009 and 2016.  
  • Canceling the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act balance, which was scheduled to provide the Las Vegas area with $230 million for capital improvements, restoration, recreation and conservation.
  • Gutting important clean energy programs at DOE, while providing a slight bump to nuclear clean up, and then including $120 million to revive the abandoned, flawed and unwanted Yucca Mountain licensing process.
  • Permanently discontinuing payments to counties for geothermal leasing revenues under the Energy Policy Act of 2005. A total of $3.22 million in geothermal leasing payments were made in 2016. The vast majority of this $3 million goes to rural NV counties.
  • Drastically reducing by more than 31% EPA’s funding and ability to protect Nevada’s air quality, which makes the air easier to breathe for 176,240 adults and 44,927 children in Nevada diagnosed with asthma.
  • Severely cutting the Department of Interior by $1.5 billion, which houses the National Parks Service and will mean reduced hours, fewer rangers and closed roads at Nevada’s seven NPS units.
  • Eliminating $3 billion from Community Development Block Grants that fund important programs in Nevada for senior and incapacitated Nevadans.
  • Terminate or cutting programs like the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which aids lower-income and elderly Nevadans with energy bills; or eliminating the Weatherization Assistance Program which in 2015 delivered $24 million in economic benefit to the low-income families it serves through utility bill savings and reduced unemployment and health costs.
  • $1.6 billion in cuts across the government to fund construction of the wall along our Mexican border that will not improve security and will harm our environment and habitat.

The cuts President Trump proposes should be dismissed out of hand. The fact is that these agencies and programs have been underfunded for years. Nevadans rely on these and other programs and services which support economic activity, natural beauty and quality of life – they should receive more funds, not less.  We once again urge you to provide ample funding, and ensure that upcoming spending bills do not take important resources away from Nevadans through cuts, policy riders, or other means.

Sincerely,

Battle Born Progress

Chispa Nevada

For Nevada’s Future

Mi Familia Vota

Nevada Advocates for Planned Parenthood Affiliates

Nevada Conservation League

Natural Resources Defense Council

Planned Parenthood Mar Monte

Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada

Sierra Club Toiyabe Chapter

UNITE HERE Culinary Workers Union Local 226

Voces Verdes