Sen. Cramer Introduces Amendments on Federal Employee Leave, Education, Health Care, Broadband, Agriculture to Democrats' Spending Bill
Press Release
U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), a Senate Budget Committee member, introduced nine amendments today to H.R. 1319, the Fiscal Year 2021 Budget Reconciliation which serves as the legislative vehicle for the Democrats' $1.9 trillion spending package.
"Democrats are embarking on a liberal wish-list shopping spree poorly disguised as COVID-19 relief," said Senator Cramer. "Today Senate Republicans are offering a series of amendments to hold Democrats accountable and expose their extreme agenda."
The amendments led by Senator Cramer would:
Redistribute funds meant for the new federal employee leave program into the Provider Relief Fund;
Require schools and libraries to reopen in order to receive Federal Communications Commission (FCC) education technology support;
Require federal employees to expend paid annual leave before they are eligible for extraneous leave benefits;
Fund grants for career training programs relating to meat and poultry processing;
Provide $2 billion from the Emergency Connectivity Fund for small broadband providers;
Modify the emergency rental assistance program;
Extend the temporary suspension of Medicare sequestration through the rest of the year; and
Designate additional funds for the Strategic National Stockpile.
Senator Cramer is also cosponsoring several amendments led by his colleagues and will continue to do so as more are offered. The amendments he is currently cosponsoring would:
Incentivize school reopening by creating a formula in which schools and local education agencies receive a base amount of 25 percent of the funds they qualify for, with an additional 15 percent for each day they are open for in-person learning. This amendment is led by Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL).
Approve any presidential pipeline permit if it would create jobs and increase federal and local revenue. The amendment is led by Senator Steve Daines (R-MT).
Slash $175 million from transit projects in California, Hawaii, New York, and Texas. The amendment is led by Senator Daines.
Provide economic assistance for individuals and small business owners who lost their jobs or were economically harmed by the Biden Administration's executive actions and policies. This effort is led by Senator John Hoeven (R-ND).
Help get students with disabilities back into the classroom by reallocating funds from schools which remain closed to scholarships for students with disabilities to attend schools which offer in-person teaching. The amendment is led by Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC).
Ensure senior assisted living centers are adequately funded by authorizing $35 billion for the Provider Relief Fund, with $8.5 billion designated for rural providers. The amendment is led by Senator Susan Collins (R-ME).
Send this legislation back to the committees of jurisdiction to build bipartisan support. This is part of an effort led by Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN). Senator Cramer is leading the amendment to return the banking portion to the Senate Banking Committee.
Establish an Education Savings Account with per-pupil funding for any student to use for educational purposes if they are attending a public school which has not reopened for in-person instruction. The amendment is led by Senator Tim Scott (R-SC).
Provide agriculture disaster payments related to excessive moisture and drought. The amendment is led by Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA).
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