In order to prevent a Federal government shutdown last week the House and Senate passed a $1.2 trillion dollar budget Omnibus bill. The vote breakdown was 101 Republicans voting for the bill and 112 voting against it while, 185 Democrats voted for the bill and 22 against it. The House of Representatives voted on the Federal spending package brokered by House Speaker Mike Johnson Friday passing the bill by a vote of 286 to 134. The bill needed 280 votes to pass.
The Senate vote was 74-24 in support of the bill after funding had expired for Federal agencies at midnight.
The White House sent out a notice shortly after the Thursday midnight deadline announcing the Office of Management and Budget had ceased shutdown preparations because there was a high degree of confidence that Congress would pass a new budget bill and the president would sign it on Saturday.
Even though Speaker Johnson assured the House Representatives at his appointment a year ago they would have at least 72 hours to read over such lengthy bills of gravity, this new 2024 Omnibus budget bill gave Representatives less than 24 hours to read a 1,000 page bill before they were expected to pass it.
There were several people worth listening to in this matter.
One was House Representative Chip Roy (TX-R) who offered this chart prepared by his office and had this to say:
“Today, I voted no on H. Res. 1102.
Last year, House Republicans set out to fundamentally change the annual appropriations process. In doing so, we passed seven individual appropriations bills off the floor for the first time in years, voted on hundreds of amendments, cut spending, and secured critical policy riders to undo the Biden administration’s agenda destroying our way of life.
But this bill marks a complete undoing of all the progress House Republicans made. The $1.2 trillion bill was released at 2:30am yesterday morning, giving members just over 24 hours to review its 1,000 pages of text, despite House rules requiring we have at least 72 hours to review any measure. It was also brought forward under “suspension of the rules,” limiting debate and effectively stonewalling any attempt to amend it.
Worse still, it funds the Department of Homeland Security without a including a single policy necessary to put an end to the chaos at our southern border brought on by President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas – instead it gives more funding to DHS, which will supercharge the crisis. It also gives $200 million to the FBI for its new headquarters – in the wake of Republicans touting supposed “cuts” to the bureau – and forfeits key policies secured in the House Republican bills. This includes failing to defund the World Health Organization, end the woke destruction of our nation’s military, stop Biden’s student loan bailouts, prohibit the creation of a Central Bank Digital Currency, and much more.
But it is important to note the final result. A majority of the GOP stood against the uniparty and business as usual – and for that, Americans should press forward for a stronger GOP majority that will stand up to do the right thing. It is long past time for the Republican majority to start legislating like we campaign and start doing what we said we would do. The American people are counting on us. Onward.”
Another Representative who was absolutely livid at the apparent betrayal by Speaker Johnson in the passage of this bill was Marjorie Taylor-Greene (GA-R) who explained things very well in a press conference.
“Marjorie Taylor Greene files motion to vacate House speaker after spending bill passes” – Fox News
Senator Rand Paul (KY-R) also had a lot to say about this budget bill worth listening to:
“BREAKING NEWS: Rand Paul Furiously Lists Shocking Earmarks In Programs $1.2 Trillion Budget” – Forbes
CONCLUSION:
Many Americans feel like I do in that America is being intentionally drive off of a fiscal cliff and it is not a matter of time of “if” but “when” it is going to happen (total collapse of our economy).
Normally the Democrats vote as a block and this time 22 House Representatives voted against this bill indicating at least 22 Democrats see the writing on the wall now. But this time we had 101 Republicans who betrayed their party, their constituents who voted them into office, and the country they supposedly were elected to represent.
Senator Paul makes the valid point that over 7,000 earmarks (pork) were included in this bill and none of that should be occurring at this point in time. Paul makes the valid point that our forefathers would have found these earmarks unconstitutional as Federal dollars are to be used on things for the good of everybody, not specific geographic areas of our country.
$2M to University of Maine for a Shellfish Nursery
$1.5M to encourage video gaming in New York
$388K to Columbia University (they already have a $13.5B endowment)
$249K to Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
$1M to Cambridge Massachusetts Community Center to get solar panels.
$1M to Martha’s Vineyard Hospital
Earlier this year we found an even bigger pork project story ($15M) to monitor our beef supply!
“Plan to Track Cows Raises Alarm Bells With Republicans” – Newsweek
Perhaps nobody spoke more eloquently about the problem of our rogue government officials ruining this country was Representative Eli Crane (AZ-R).
“’It’s Pathetic’: Eli Crane Blasts House Republican Leadership Over Government Spending Bill” – Forbes
America is in trouble and as the old expression goes, “If you are not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem!” Our House of Representatives are part of the problem because they sure as hell no longer represent us!
Copyright © 2024 by Mark S. Schwendau
