DFP Leads 2022 Appropriations Requests!

President Biden released his budget, which includes $44.9 billion in climate spending, a 60 percent increase from the FY 2021 budget, and is now awaiting appropriations that will allocate money for specific government uses. Data for Progress is excited to lead appropriations requests this year that uphold the climate and energy needs of all Americans. Our work advocating for a livable, equitable future has demonstrated the importance of tackling multiple pieces of the climate crisis in tandem, and so our appropriations requests focus on three major pieces of the climate puzzle: grid resilience, clean energy loans and transition planning, and carbon dioxide removal. Altogether, our requests add up to more than $8 billion in smart climate spending — which our new polling finds enjoy bipartisan support.

DFP is requesting a total of $7.83 billion for funding for a Department of Energy Grid Deployment Office. This request covers programs administered by this new office for deployment of the Building a Better Grid Initiative in order to:

Analyze high-priority national transmission needs to identify where new or upgraded transmission facilities could relieve expected future constraints and congestion.
Address higher electric demand as a result of building and transportation electrification.
Address insufficient transfer capacity across regions by conducting a Transmission Needs Study.

There is a demonstrable political appetite for the federal government to invest in grid resiliency. Recent Data for Progress polling finds that a majority of voters (68 percent) support Congress funding $8 billion in transmission upgrades.

DFP is also requesting a total of $480 million for funding for the Loan Programs Office (LPO) to effectively develop and deploy clean energy innovation while prioritizing community engagement and technical assistance for clean energy planning. Specifically, we recommend the following funding structure:

Title 17 Innovative Technology Loan Guarantee Program: $160 million to expand loan authority by $16 billion.
Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program (ATVM): $300 million to cover the credit subsidy cost of loans made under Section 136(d) of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.
Tribal Energy Loan Guarantee Program (TELGP): $20 million to cover credit subsidy cost or loan guarantees and direct loans.

As the world transitions to a clean energy economy, frontline, fossil fuel-reliant, and other marginalized communities should not only be considered, but also benefit from this transition. 67 percent support including funding in this budget for the Department of Energy to work with communities across the country that are impacted by our nation’s transition away from fossil fuels and toward clean energy.

Read the full polling analysis and appropriations requests here.

Here are some other highlights from DFP this week:

Fuck Forced Arbitration

The Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act passed! This legislation, first introduced by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand in 2017, ensures perpetrators of sexual assault and harassment cannot force survivors into arbitration — which keeps cases away from public view — and provides the option for individuals to sue and bring such cases to court.

New polling finds 78 percent of voters nationwide support such a bill, including Republicans by a +56-point margin, Independents by a +68-point margin, and Democrats by a +70-point margin.

We also found that 67 percent of voters agree that Congress should end forced arbitration in sexual assault and harassment claims because individuals should have control over their own cases and the right to be heard publicly. In contrast, 22 percent say that dictating what employers can put in their employment contracts is an overreach of federal power.

Read the full polling analysis here.

Donate to the Missouri Abortion Fund.

In recent hellscape news, Missouri lawmakers have introduced a bill that would allow private citizens to sue anyone who helps a Missouri resident obtain an abortion out of state.

New Data for Progress polling finds 67 percent of voters nationwide oppose such a proposal — including Republicans by a -10-point margin, Independents by a -47-point margin, and Democrats by a -67-point margin.

The Missouri legislature has a history of supporting anti-abortion legislation; in 2019 it passed a law which banned abortions after eight weeks — including in the cases of rape or incest. The law was later overturned in federal court. State Representative Mary Elizabeth Coleman has been attempting to restrict access to out-of-state abortions since a Planned Parenthood clinic opened near the Illinois-Missouri border that same year.

Voters nationwide strongly oppose such anti-abortion efforts. Congress must work swiftly to defend reproductive rights by taking steps to protect abortion access and by codifying Roe v. Wade into law.

Read the full polling analysis here.

Donate to nationwide abortion funds here.