In an effort to prevent taxpayer dollars from being used on duplicative and unnecessary studies of the Missouri River, U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-3) led efforts to overwhelmingly pass two amendments prohibiting funding of the Missouri River Ecosystem Restoration Plan (MRERP) and the Missouri River Authorized Purposes Study (MRAPS).

“MRERP and MRAPS are studies that put taxpayers on the hook for millions of dollars at a time of growing deficits and out-of-control spending. The last thing we need to be doing is nickle and diming folks with unnecessary government spending like this,” Luetkemeyer said. “I am pleased that an overwhelming number of my House colleagues joined me in ending funding for these projects and hopefully this trend of cutting wasteful government spending continues.”

Luetkemeyer’s amendments passed as part of the Energy and Water Appropriatons Act Fiscal Year 2015 and received no House opposition. Similar measures backed by Luetkemeyer to successfully halt funding for MRERP and MRAPS were previously passed in the House for FY2012-2014.