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U.S. House Passes Rep. Jason Smith’s Amendment to Stop Taxpayer Funding of Radical Environmental Groups

Smith’s amendment blocks federal agencies from using U.S. tax dollars to pay legal fees in environmental cases

The U.S. House of Representatives passed Congressman Jason Smith’s amendment to H.R. 5538, the Department of the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations bill for FY 2017. Smith’s amendment restricts federal agencies from using American taxpayer dollars to pay for legal fees under any legal settlement regarding a case arising under the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Endangered Species Act.

Prior to passage, Smith said, “If this election cycle has shown us anything, it is that the American people are tired of a federal bureaucracy that is accountable to no one and operates in the shadows without proper oversight.” Smith continued, “The United States is facing a crisis of executive overreach, and nowhere else is this truer than at the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA’s misuse of taxpayer funds not only endangers the economy, but also our constitutional separation of powers.”

When an environmental advocacy group sues federal agencies, these agreements are worked out behind closed doors without public participation in the process. Included in these settlements are requirements that U.S. taxpayers must pay for the attorney’s fees for the radical environmentalist groups suing the federal government. This practice is called ‘sue and settle’ and allows outside special interest groups to dictate the way that agencies such as the EPA write regulations. These cases have resulted in more than 100 new regulations-including the Clean Power Plan. Under Smith’s amendment, no funds can be used to pay legal fees under any settlement, and regarding any case arising under the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Endangered Species Act. While litigants can still sue, they will no longer be financially rewarded by the American taxpayer for their efforts.

Upon passage, Smith commented, “I applaud my colleagues in the House for supporting my legislation that reinforces the constitutional powers vested in Congress to protect American taxpayers from an ever expanding executive branch. It is inexcusable to continue to allow federal agencies to operate behind closed doors at the expense of American taxpayers. The passage of my amendment holds the out-of-control bureaucrats in Washington, DC accountable for their violations against Americans and the U.S. Constitution.”

This amendment is Smith’s second amendment to H.R. 5538, the Department of the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations bill for FY 2017 passed by the U.S. House this week. The House also passed Smith’s amendment to block funding to the EPA’s Environmental Education (EE) grant program, preventing millions of taxpayer dollars from continuing to be used to fund propaganda supporting new EPA regulations.

This amendment continues Smith’s commitment to protecting taxpayers from out-of-control federal agencies like the EPA. Smith introduced the End EPA Advertising Act to stop the EPA from using taxpayer money to hire public relations contractors after it was uncovered that the EPA spent 26 million in taxpayer funds between 2000 and 2014 to hire outside public relations contractors to create media campaigns to push their agenda. Smith introduced the End EPA Rouge Spending Act earlier this year to prevent the EPA from spending any fine, private settlement, penalty or fee they collect. In January, Smith’s SCRUB Act passed the House with bipartisan support. The Searching for and Cutting Regulations that Unnecessarily Burdensome (SCRUB) Act protects hardworking Americans and brings more accountability to government by eliminating and removing outdated federal regulations estimated to impose nearly a $1.86 trillion burden on Americans.