PEER condemns the budget reconciliation bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives as disastrous for our country’s fiscal health and our public lands, wildlife, and environmental protections. The bill now heads to the Senate for consideration.
The bill, known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, would be disastrous for our nation’s economy and our federal workers. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the bill would increase the federal deficit by $3.8 trillion over the next decade, and that the lowest-income households in the U.S. would see their resources drop, while those with the highest income would see a boost.
This bill will hit federal workers hard by cutting nearly $15 billion in federal retirement benefits over a 10-year period. Reductions in benefits, job instability, and attacks on the civil service will continue to drive out experienced and dedicated federal workers who deliver vital services to the American people. Everett Kelley, President of the American Federation of Government Employees, notes these cuts would offset “less than 1% of the bill’s cost while doing incalculable damage to both future and current federal employees.”
The bill also overturns critical wildlife and environmental protections and authorizes the degradation of large swaths of public lands and waters. The legislation includes requirements to:
- Expand offshore and onshore drilling, including in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the Gulf of Mexico, and promote coal mining
- Force leasing and mining in the Arctic Refuge and Boundary Waters
- Sidestep public input in decision-making as required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
- Increase timber production on federal lands by a minimum of 25%
- Require quarterly lease sales of onshore oil and gas in any state with available land, including Wyoming, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Montana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Nevada and Alaska
- Withdraw $267 million in Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funding for the National Park Service
- Cut back on IRA credits for entire industries – including solar, wind, batteries, EVs, and energy efficiency – making the future more challenging for these sectors
There is much more in this bill that will harm our country and the public health and environmental issues we need to collectively address. Tracking this bill and educating the public about its dangerous provisions will be a priority in the coming months.
Tim Whitehouse is the Executive Director at PEER.
