A horrible Christmas carol is beginning to describe the annual rush to fund the government: 12 spending measures, $1.7 trillion, 4,000+ pages, one huge end-of-year vote, and a lifeline for the lobster industry.
This is how oddly your government operates. The leaders on Capitol Hill defer the process until the very last minute, when it’s vote “yes” or shut down the government, rather than passing spending measures in regular order or throughout the year.
Democrats are the organisers this year, but when Republicans take control of the House the following year, they will need to either keep their word that they will never act in this manner again, or we will see lawmakers and senators right back here again, wishing they were at home for the holidays rather than voting on issues they should have handled earlier in the year.
The extensive one-year funding plan was approved by the Senate on Thursday and is now awaiting approval by the House before being sent to President Joe Biden. Sens. nonetheless attempted to buy some more time by passing a bill on Thursday afternoon that would have extended the deadline for government funding by one week, to December 30, knowing full well that this particular path had already been taken. Before voting on the larger funding bill on Friday, the House is anticipated to follow suit.
Kevin McCarthy, the leader of the House Republicans, may delay the last-minute work, meanwhile, by using a “magic minute,” which allows party leaders to talk for as long as they choose, to mourn on the House floor. The California Republican, who hopes to become speaker in the coming year, has vowed to prevent this from happening using government assistance.
There have been several similar threats in recent memory. After enduring a government shutdown and pledging to veto any “omnibus” bills, President Donald Trump ultimately decided to enact versions of these laws for the remainder of his term in office.
two options. That’s intentional.
The bill has the support of the Senate leaders.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer described the process as having “a lot of Sturm und Drang, a lot of ups and downs, but in the end, a terrific conclusion that truly helped the American people.”
Mitch McConnell, the minority leader in the Senate, claimed he wouldn’t have done it this way in response to criticism of the procedure from other Republicans.
The Kentucky Republican remarked on the Senate floor, “But given the reality of where we stand today, senators have two options this week, just two.” “Give our armed forces the support and assurance they require, or we will withhold it from them.”
McConnell concentrated on the defence expenditure, but there was much more, including billions that legislators set aside for initiatives in their home states and districts.
Hate the game, not the politician.
Even legislators who will vote against the omnibus bill will be able to divert funding into their districts thanks to the return of earmarking advances, now known as community project funding. Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, for instance, has a list of her budget proposals on her website. Among others, taxpayer funds were used to build a wastewater treatment facility in Greenwich, a police station in Moriah, and an early childhood centre in Ogdensburg. She is anticipated to join other House Republicans in opposing the final legislation, though.
The challenge for members like Stefanik and McCarthy will come the following year, when conservative Republicans will push for them to reject lifting the debt ceiling without significant reductions in federal spending.
Going around the cliff
McCarthy must pay attention to more moderate Republicans, according to Schumer, who added that he will wait until the following year to engage with McCarthy on that subject.
The majority of Republicans in the House and the Senate, according to New York Democrat Charles Schumer, “are not MAGA.” And this election demonstrated to them—I’ve spoken with them—that supporting MAGA is like siding with Thelma and Louise as they fall off a cliff.
Not simply another spending bill
The omnibus bill’s objectives extended beyond funding government operations and spending. Additionally, lawmakers slipped in a few extra bills, mostly bipartisan initiatives they didn’t have time to consider during the year.
Those this year included:
Bipartisan efforts to prevent Insurrection 2.0 and make it clear that the vice president cannot simply reject election results include the Electoral Count Act and the much-needed 401(k)s.
Technology – TikTok is prohibited on federal government devices
education: highest possible Pell Grant offers Ukraine $45 billion in more help, enabling the Pentagon to support Ukraine for a while.
financing for military and veteran care, including a 22.4% increase in support for VA medical care and a 4.6% pay hike for troops
and that industry’s lifeline, the lobster.
There are many more. It is “three times the size of the Bible,” according to Republican Florida Senator Rick Scott, and no one has ever read the full book.
That doesn’t mean all of its components, which were pieced together over the course of the year by several committees, haven’t been carefully considered.
However, these things are sometimes postponed until the very last minute for a variety of reasons, including the fact that parliamentarians are frequently preoccupied with other issues like judicial nominations.
However, it appears that most often when a vote is presented as a must-pass and is the only thing standing in their way of the holidays, leaders find it simpler to ram things through.