As Pride Month and the end of fiscal year 2024 approach, House Appropriations Committee Chair Tom Cole (R-Oklahoma) has issued guidance for fiscal 2025 earmarks that could limit services for the LGBTQ community.
In a letter to colleagues elaborating on the rule, Cole wrote: “One notable change is that nonprofits are no longer eligible for Community Project Funding in the Economic Development Initiative (EDI) account. Similar to previous reforms made in this Congress, this change aims to ensure projects are consistent with the community development goals of the federal program.”
According to the State Science & Technology Institute (SSTI), a national nonprofit, the EDI account provided $3.3 billion to public and nonprofit organizations in this fiscal year, with CQ Roll Call reporting that nearly $800 million for the House’s projects went to nonprofits. The rules for FY 2025 also maintain the ban Cole’s predecessor, Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas), placed on all earmarks in the Labor-Health and Human Services-Education funding bill.
At this point, SSTI reported, “the Senate does not seem likely to conform with the House’s change. The Senate has not published a change to its guidance and did not follow the House’s restrictions in FY 2024.”
Still, the House’s move has sounded alarm bells within the LGBTQ and BIPOC (Black, indigenous and people of color) communities.
In a statement, Tandra LaGrone, CEO of Albany-based In Our Own Voices Inc., https://ioov.org/said:
“As the CEO of a leading LGBTQ BIPOC organization, I am deeply troubled by the recent decision to defund LGBTQ centers by banning earmarks for nonprofits. This move not only undermines the critical services that these centers provide to some of the most vulnerable members of our community but also signals a distressing step backward in our fight for equality and justice.
“Our centers do more than offer services. They are safe havens for those who often have nowhere else to turn. They provide life-saving support such as health screenings, mental health counseling and housing assistance, which are now at risk due to this short-sighted and discriminatory policy.
“This is not just an attack on LGBTQ centers. It is an attack on the very fabric of our society that values diversity, inclusion and the well-being of all its members. We will continue to fight against these harmful policies and advocate for the necessary funding to support all communities without discrimination. We stand together, stronger than ever, committed to our mission of serving those who rely on us.”
