Heritage Action supports Congressman Norman's amendment to remove all earmarks from the Labor-HHS portion of H.R. 7148. The vote on this amendment will be included as a Key Vote on our Legislative Scorecard.
Heritage Action has long opposed the inclusion of earmarks in appropriations bills. The appropriations bill for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (Labor-HHS) is notorious for containing woke earmarks, often for entities that perform abortions and sex-rejecting procedures. The current Labor-HHS bill is no exception.
Last year, Heritage Action highlighted some of the worst earmarks in this year’s bill, including:
- Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) requested a $2 million earmark for Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego for “pediatric mental health services.” This hospital has conducted sex-rejecting procedures on at least 136 patients.
- Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) requested a $968,000 earmark for Cooperman Barnabas Health, which won the 2024 Human Rights Campaign healthcare equality leader award.
- Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) requested a $460,000 earmark for Elliot Health System. Elliot Health performs “gender affirming top surgery.”
- Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) requested a $3 million earmark for Hennepin Health for new equipment. Hennepin Health runs a pediatric gender and sexual health clinic.
- Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) requested a $200,000 earmark for Rhode Island Hospital, which performs “transmasculine surgeries.”
In demanding earmarks of their own, Republicans have opened the door to Democrats to direct taxpayer funds to entities engaged in practices that most GOP voters find abhorrent. Voters elected Republican majorities in Congress to end this. Congressman Norman’s amendment would remove all earmarks from the Labor-HHS bill, reducing the total cost to taxpayers by $1.3 billion.
The amendment from Congressman Norman would more closely align H.R. 7148 with the House version of the Labor-HHS bill led by Subcommittee Chairman Robert Aderholt, which was passed out of committee with no earmarks.
Heritage Action supports Congressman Norman's amendment to remove all earmarks from the Labor-HHS portion of H.R. 7148. The vote on this amendment will be included as a Key Vote on our Legislative Scorecard.