WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Dave Joyce (OH-14) issued the below statement following passage of H.R. 8294 by the U.S. House of Representatives. This legislation, which Joyce voted against, includes Transportation and Housing and Urban Development; Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration; Energy and Water Development; Financial Services and General Government; Interior and Environment; and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs appropriations bills for fiscal year 2023.

“Americans are getting pummeled by the highest inflation rates this country has seen since 1981,” said Joyce. “We need to rein in out-of-control spending, support domestic energy production and get the federal government out of the way of American innovation. This legislation does the exact opposite, curbing our energy independence and increasing federal spending by more than $136 billion …all while lacking an overarching budget plan. I can’t in good conscience support this bill when our national debt has surpassed $30 trillion, inflation has hit a 40-year high, and Americans are struggling to afford gas and groceries.”

In addition to Joyce’s concerns about the bill’s funding levels, the legislation also drops long-standing pro-life protections that prevent taxpayer funding of abortions, allows for the closure and transfer of dangerous criminals from Guantanamo Bay to the United States, and prevents and disincentivizes domestic energy production.

“I stand ready, willing, and able to work with my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to produce a bipartisan, fiscally responsible spending package that prioritizes the needs of my constituents,” said Joyce. “But in its current form, this out-of-touch federal spending bill will only make things harder for working families and everyday Americans.”

You can view Joyce’s remarks about the bill, and the wasteful spending it included, here.

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