President Clinton vetoed several fiscal year 1996 appropriations bills because they contained deep budget cuts and anti-environmental provisions, known as riders. In March, five months into the fiscal year, the House Appropriations Committee merged outstanding appropriations bills into H.R. 3019, making minor modifications but leaving most of the anti-environment riders intact. The new omnibus bill contained riders to eliminate the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) role in protecting wetlands, restrict energy efficiency and conservation programs, and prevent additional threatened and endangered species from receiving protection. In addition to these and other environmentally harmful provisions, the omnibus bill also cut funding for environmental programs, including an almost 10 percent reduction in EPA's budget from 1995 levels.

On March 7, 1996, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 3019, 209 - 206. NO is the pro-environment vote.

After continued presidential veto threats, the House-Senate Conference Committee dropped restrictions on EPA's review of wetlands permits, restored EPA funding to $6.5 billion, and gave the President authority to waive other anti-environmental provisions. On April 26, 1996, the President signed H.R. 3019 and exercised the waivers.