Rider
Definition
A rider is a provision attached to a bill, often an appropriations bill, that is unrelated to the bill's main purpose. Riders let lawmakers attach policy changes, funding conditions, or rollbacks to must-pass legislation instead of debating them as standalone bills.
Why it matters
Because appropriations bills must pass to avoid a shutdown, a rider lets a single member or small group force a policy change through with almost no separate scrutiny. Opponents must choose between accepting the rider or blocking government funding entirely, which is why riders are a favorite tool for provisions that could not survive a vote on their own merits.
Seen in the wild
FY2024 and FY2025 House appropriations bills repeatedly carried policy riders restricting abortion-related travel funding for servicemembers and barring enforcement of specific environmental regulations, attached to defense and Interior-Environment spending bills rather than voted on separately.1