September 13, 2017

U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Representative,

You will soon consider H.R. 3354, the Make America Secure and Prosperous Appropriations Act, 2018.  On behalf of the more than one million members and supporters of the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW), I urge you to support the following amendments to H.R. 3354:

The amendment offered by Reps. Steve King (R-Iowa), Scott Perry (R-Pa.), and Matt Gaetz (R-FL) to ensure that no funds are used to implement, administer, or enforce the Davis-Bacon Act.

Rep. Paul Mitchell’s (R-Mich.) amendment to reduce by 10% general administrative and departmental salary and expense accounts in the Financial Services and General Government title of the bill and transfer the savings to the spending reduction account.

Rep. Glenn Grothman’s (R-Wis.) amendment to reduce the funding level for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives by $64.7 million (5%).

The amendment offered by Reps. Bradley Byrne (R-Ala.) and Bill Flores (R-Texas) to state that none of the funds made available by this Act may be used to implement, administer, or enforce Executive Order No. 13547, relating to the stewardship of oceans, coasts, and the Great Lakes, including the National Ocean Policy.

Rep. Glenn Grothman’s (R-Wis.) amendment to reduce funding for the Department of Education's Program Administration, Office of Inspector General, and Office of Student Aid Administration by $43.8 million (2%).

Rep. Glenn Grothman’s (R-Wis.) amendment to reduce the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) budget by $99,000,000, funding the NLRB at $150,000,000 for FY2018.  The amendment would also reduce budget authority by $99 million and reduce outlays by $92 million.

Rep. Mark Meadows’ (R-N.C.) amendment to reduce the number of positions and funding at Mine Safety and Health Administration by 10%.

Rep. Marsha Blackburn’s (R-Tenn.) amendment to provide for a 1% across-the-board cut to the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies title of the bill.

Rep. Bill Posey’s (R-Fla.) amendment to reduce the Internal Revenue Service's Operations Support account by $165,300 and transfer that amount to the spending reduction account.

Rep. Marsha Blackburn’s (R-Tenn.) amendment for a 1% across-the-board cut to the Financial Services and General Government title of the bill.

The amendment offered by Reps. Paul Mitchell (R-Mich.) and Ted Budd (R-N.C.) to reduce by 10% the general administrative and departmental salary and expense accounts in the Financial Services and General Government title of the bill and transfer the savings to the spending reduction account.

Rep. Tom Rooney’s (R-Fla.) amendment to eliminate funding for the Harry S Truman Scholarship Foundation Trust Fund.

I urge you to oppose the following amendment:

Rep. Keith Ellison’s (D-Minn.) amendment to strike section 926 on page 590, relating to bringing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau into the regular appropriations process.

All votes on H.R. 3354 will be among those considered in CCAGW’s 2017 Congressional Ratings.

Sincerely,

Thomas A. Schatz
President, CCAGW