House panel votes to boost funding for Energy Dept., Army Corps

A House subcommittee voted Monday for a bipartisan funding bill to give $44.7 billion to the Energy Department and Army Corps of Engineers, rejecting many of President Trump’s proposed cuts to the programs.

The Appropriations Committee subpanel with responsibility for the programs passed the bill by voice vote late Monday. The fiscal 2019 funding would be $8.2 billion above Trump’s budget request, and $1.5 billion more than 2018.

“This is a responsible bill, focusing increases over last year on those areas that have most inherently federal responsibilities, to provide for our nation’s defense and support our nation’s infrastructure,” said Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho), the subcommittee’s chairman.

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The bill includes big increases to priorities like nuclear weapons and the Army Corps’s water development responsibilities.

The Army Corps would get $7.28 billion, $451 million above 2018, and nuclear weapons get $558 million more, with a budget of $11.2 billion.

Many energy programs also get boosts, like those for fossil fuel energy and nuclear research, though energy efficiency and renewable energy would be cut more than $200 million.

The bill includes policy riders like one to repeal the Obama administration’s Clean Water Rule and one to stop a change to the operation of dams out West that a court ordered.

The full House Appropriations Committee is due to consider the bill next. The committee has not scheduled a vote.