House rejects $27 million cut to $32.1 billion energy/water bill, highlighting GOP split

But senior Republicans and Democrats argued in favor of keeping the bill as it is. Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-N.J.), who chairs the House Appropriations subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, argued that the committee has “done its work” to allocate funds in the bill, and opposed Broun’s amendment to cut further.

{mosads}”We’ve done our job,” Frelinghuysen said. Frelinghuysen raised a point of order against the amendment, and succeeded in striking it down based on a technicality that the amendment transferred more money to the deficit-reduction account than it took from salaries and expenses.

The subcommittee ranking member, Rep. Pete Visclosky (D-Ind.), added that the Broun language would be a “profound mistake,” and like Frelinghuysen said the committee has already done its work.

“I would emphasize to my colleagues that there are significant cuts and savings in this bill,” Visclosky said.

Despite Visclosky’s claims that the bill cuts spending, the legislation would actually spend $87.5 million more than last year’s measure. Nonetheless, some members have argued that the bill cuts spending because it is about $1 billion below President Obama’s request, and because some accounts within the bill have been reduced.

Earlier this year, Broun proposed millions of dollars in additional cuts to the commerce-justice-science appropriations bill, which the House also turned away in votes that split Republicans.

A spokeswoman for Broun said he would continue to press the House for additional cuts to spending bills in light of the federal government’s fiscal crisis.

Earlier Friday morning, the House approved two other amendments by voice vote, from:

• Rush Holt (D-N.J.), to move $2 million from the Corps of Engineers expense account to the Corps construction account, and

• Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.), to transfer $3 million to the Army Corps of Engineers Flood Control and Coastal Emergencies account.