House Republicans voted to cut funding to three LGBTQ community centers following heated debates among lawmakers.
The move led to strong responses from Democrats on the House Appropriations subcommittee who opposed the action.
JUST IN: An amendment to eliminate $3.62 million in funding for three LGBTQ community centers in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts passed in a 32-26 vote along party lines.https://t.co/6KIAnvFSxX
— The Hill (@thehill) July 19, 2023
"Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus and one of 12 openly LGBTQ members of Congress, called the proposal 'an embarrassment,'" the Hill reported.
“This amendment brings this committee to a new low,” Pocan said Tuesday during a markup of the bill. “The fact that you would take away members’ earmarks simply because they refer to the LGBTQ+ community is insane.”
House Republicans are seeking to cut three Democratic projects that would provide services to the LGBTQ community during Tuesday’s fiscal 2024 Transportation-HUD Appropriations markup, enraging Democrats on the committee. https://t.co/PjFsHcDEI7
— Roll Call (@rollcall) July 18, 2023
"Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., criticized the Greater Reading center for offering services to children as young as 7, and argued the Philadelphia center promotes protests held by the Young Communist League of Philadelphia," according to Roll Call, supporting the cuts.
"And he said the Massachusetts project would discriminate against those who are not LGBTQ or allies," he added.
Montana Republican Rep. Ryan Zinke added his support, noting that taxpayers should not be responsible for paying for such programs.
The two projects in Pennsylvania and one project in Maryland fall in districts led by Democrats who supported the funding.
The left may claim the problem is discrimination but the details reveal that politics and finances are also part of the process that the committee is addressing.
The bigger question is whether taxpayers should be funding LGBTQ projects, something hotly divided among many Americans regardless of party lines.
