The White House is going on the offensive, taking aim at House Republicans whose budget earmarks run counter to the agreement struck between President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy earlier this year. The strategy comes with only weeks to go before a Sept. 30 deadline for a federal government shutdown.

In a memo from Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young released Tuesday, the Biden administration hammered House Republicans, accusing them of reneging on a budget deal that they say every other party to that agreement — including Senate Republicans, Democrats in both chambers and Biden himself — are honoring.

What You Need To Know

  • The Biden administration is attacking House Republicans whose budget appropriations bills run counter to the budget agreement struck between President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy

  • In a memo, the Office of Management and Budget accused House Republicans of "advancing extreme, partisan approprations bills" that "gut key investments in the American people"

  • Policy statements published by OMB outline the White House's disagreements with specific sections of approprations bills, including policy changes that seek to strike women's health and abortion care by the VA; slash climate change research spending; and gut personnel budgets

  • Officials say that the White House will also release 50 fact sheets for states across the country that would be affected by the approprations bills

McCarthy and House Republicans, Young wrote, are “ignoring the bipartisan budget agreement they passed and instead advancing extreme, partisan appropriations bills that break their public promise and gut key investments in the American people.”

The memo is both a restatement of existing administration policy — namely, a promise that Biden would veto appropriations bills rooted in “partisan extremism” that would “endanger critical services for the American people” — and an effort to highlight to the American people what the GOP’s budget programs seek to cut and to change.

The memo is a simplified, high-level look at proposed cuts in House appropriations bills, outlining budget cuts for schools with low-income students, budget and personnel cuts to federal law enforcement agencies and the IRS,and cutting clean technology and pollution reduction programs.

“The President and the Speaker already made a bipartisan budget agreement—one that would result in $1 trillion of deficit reduction over the next decade. Every party to that agreement except House Republicans—House Democrats, Senate Democrats, Senate Republicans, and President Biden— are honoring their word,” the memo reads. “We urge House Republicans to follow the law they helped enact and the Senate’s bipartisan approach to funding the government according to the deal.”

This is only part of the White House's latest criticism toward House appropriations bills.

On Monday, the Office of Management and Budget published a “Statement of Administration Policy” on HR 4365, a House bill centered around Defense Department spending, essentially promising a veto if the bill is not significantly altered. Its criticism of HR 4365 focuses on proposed changes to the GOP’s culture war flashpoints. The bill would change DOD policies that would limit access to reproductive healthcare by military servicemembers and their families; and cut $715 million in climate change research and defense spending. It would also cut about $1 billion in civilian personnel funding, move funding for military construction projects (stretching and deferring that project funding over future budget years) and make changes to military command authority that the OMB said raises constitutional concerns.

Two months ago, OMB also published policy statements on HR 4366, which focuses on the Department of Veterans Affairs — a bill that also attacks abortion care and gender-affirming care for VA patients — and HR 4368, regarding agriculture, rural development and the Food and Drug Administration. 

That bill would reverse an FDA rule change that made abortion pills more widely available in pharmacies across the U.S., and prevent the FDA from implementing rules regarding tobacco flavoring. It would also slash funding for WIC, a federal program that provides food, nutrition education and breastfeeding support intended to help women, infants and children; cut funding help for “socially disadvantaged” farm loan borrowers; slash $1.5 billion in programs designed to help rural communities and business owners convert to renewable energy systems; and kill all climate change research funding at the Department of Agriculture.

According to administration officials, the White House will also on Tuesday publish 50 fact sheets for the states, illustrating the local effects of House GOP appropriations bills.

A shadow looms over the budget battle — if the House can't agree with the Senate and Biden on a budget deal by Sept. 30, that will force a government shutdown, disrupting federal services.