Latest news with #CommitteeonAppropriations
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Bill to put St. George school system on a ballot advances in House Committee
BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — A bill that paves the way for the newly formed city of St. George to operate its own school system has moved forward in the Regular Legislative Session. Senate Bill 25 passed out of the Committee on Appropriations on Tuesday. 'All Senate Bill 25 does as a companion bill is it gives it an election date in April so that people can vote on it,' said Senator Rick Edmonds (R-Baton Rouge). The companion bill he's referring to is Senate Bill 234. That bill would actually create the St. George school board and system within the parish of East Baton Rouge. That bill still must go through the Committee on Education. In terms of legislative progress, SB 234 has a few more hurdles to clear. Tuesday opponents of SB 25 told committee members it would ultimately divert millions of dollars away from Baton Rouge schools, and they believe passing it now was 'putting the cart before the horse.' Senator Edmonds rejected the suggestion to defer his bill until SB 234 is passed through committee, saying it's not uncommon to pass legislation out of order. 'We do it all the time, it's the timeline we get under that we have to pass companion bills, this bill still has to go to civil laws, the language has to be approved. So if you just look at the timing of legislation, those are things that happen all the time,' said Edmonds. SB 25 passed out of the Appropriations Committee on a 15 to 2 vote. SB 234 is a constitutional amendment, so it must ultimately go before the voter before becoming law. Edmonds is hopeful to have it on the ballot for an April 2026 election. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump's 2026 proposed budget includes cuts to space programs
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — In a letter given to the Chair of the Committee on Appropriations on Friday, President Trump recommended cuts to multiple federal programs, including ones that would affect the Rocket City. Space Launch System After three flights, the Budget would cut $879 million from the Space Launch System rocket and Orion capsule. The letter says SLS costs $4 billion per launch and is 140% over budget. After Artemis III, the Budget would fund a program to replace SLS and Orion flights to the Moon with more cost-effective systems that would support later lunar missions. The Budget also proposes to terminate the Gateway, a small lunar space station in development with international partners, which would have been used to support future SLS and Orion missions. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center and private space contractors in Huntsville are currently working on the Artemis II and Artemis III programs. International Space Station The Budget would cut $509 million from the station's budget and reduce the crew's size and onboard research. It would also prepare the station for decommissioning by 2030. The ISS is primarily run by crews on Redstone Arsenal with the Marshall Space Flight Program. Crew and cargo flights to the station would be significantly reduced. The station's reduced research capacity would be focused on efforts critical to the Moon and Mars exploration programs. To read more about the proposed budget, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Staff at multiple agencies instructed not to speak to Congress, says Democrat
Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) sent several letters Thursday to various federal agency heads seeking answers regarding directives banning employees from speaking to Congress. 'The Committee on Appropriations has a longstanding relationship with Agency career staff who are integral to providing the data used to inform our decisions,' she wrote in separate letters to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin. 'These staff have always conducted themselves in a professional way with integrity,' the Democratic lawmaker added. 'Unfortunately, nearly all communication has stopped since President Trump took office. My understanding is that these staff have been directed not to communicate with Congress.' Pingree, a ranking member of the House Appropriations Interior and Environment Subcommittee, took issue with the recent firing of U.S. Forest Service employees. She said the firings threatened the ability of agencies 'to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the nation's forests and grasslands to meet the needs of both present and future generations.' In her letters, the representative requested a detailed report outlining a breakdown of terminations and current vacancies. 'Oversight of the executive branch is one of Congress's main responsibilities, and the Department's utter lack of transparency is unacceptable. It is clear to me that this reckless and indiscriminate purge of public servants will have lasting harmful effects,' the Maine lawmaker stated. 'The chaotic manner in which these mass firings were executed will only make the federal government more inefficient. Ultimately, when the federal government fails to deliver services, it will be the American people who suffer.' The U.S. Department of Agriculture and Interior Department did not immediately respond to The Hill's requests for comment. The EPA said it is 'reviewing the letter and will respond through the appropriate channels.' Updated at 10:55 a.m. EST. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
21-02-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Staff at multiple agencies instructed not to speak to Congress, says Democrat
Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) sent several letters on Thursday to various federal agency heads seeking answers regarding directives banning employees from speaking to Congress. 'The Committee on Appropriations has a longstanding relationship with Agency career staff who are integral to providing the data used to inform our decisions,' she wrote in separate letters to Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin. 'These staff have always conducted themselves in a professional way with integrity,' the Democratic lawmaker added. 'Unfortunately, nearly all communication has stopped since President Trump took office. My understanding is that these staff have been directed not to communicate with Congress.' Pingree, a ranking member of both the House Appropriations Interior and Environment Subcommittee, took issue with the recent firing of forest service employees. She said the firings threatened the ability of agencies 'to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the nation's forests and grasslands to meet the needs of both present and future generations.' In her letters, the representative requested a detailed report outlining a breakdown of terminations and current vacancies. 'Oversight of the executive branch is one of Congress's main responsibilities, and the Department's utter lack of transparency is unacceptable. It is clear to me that this reckless and indiscriminate purge of public servants will have lasting harmful effects,' the Maine lawmaker stated. 'The chaotic manner in which these mass firings were executed will only make the federal government more inefficient. Ultimately, when the federal government fails to deliver services, it will be the American people who suffer.'
