House Roll Call 600 (7-15-11) H.R. 2354 Making appropriations for energy and water development and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2012, and for other purposes.

Passed in House 219 to 196, 16 not voting. Following Senate amendments, approved again as part of the “megabus” (H.R. 2505), (see Roll Call 941, 12-16-11). The megabus became Public Law No: 112-74 (signed by the President 12-23-11).

Bill Summary:  Appropriates $31 billion for energy and water spending during FY 2012.

Analysis:  This is the fifth FY 2012 appropriations bill brought to the floor. Spending is 3.3 percent lower than FY 2011, but 16 percent below the president’s request. The $31 billion level was designed to conform to the GOP’s pledge to roll back government spending to pre-stimulus, pre-bailout levels, with certain exceptions.

However, the political focus on merely constraining federal spending to the recent past, or to what the economy can presumably bear, does not address the real problem — a massive, unconstitutional bureaucracy that threatens our freedom.

The lion’s share of H.R. 2354 would go to fund the largely unconstitutional Department of Energy (DOE). DOE was established as a cabinet level department in 1977 at the request of President Jimmy Carter, who was marching to the tune of the radical environmentalist lobby (organized from the beginning with the support of the Insider Establishment to provide a clever pretext for a huge government power grab).

Not surprisingly, the Department of Energy has supported the green agenda that has hampered the production of energy and prevented America from restoring energy independence and achieving energy abundance.   It needs to be eliminated, not contained.

We have assigned (good vote) to the Nays and (bad vote) to the Yeas. (P = voted present; ? = not voting; blank = not listed on roll call.)