The New $1.2 Trillion Spending Bill is an Abomination
“President Joe Biden thanked Congressional leaders Saturday after the Senate passed a controversial six-bill government funding package in the early hours of the day following a brief partial government shutdown.”
Since the early days of the Tea Party, we have heard Americans complain about massive bills passed in the middle of the night, which no one has read and which spend obscene amounts of money. Nothing has changed since then, and both parties are guilty.
This latest spending bill was over 1,000 pages long and carries a price tag of over a trillion dollars. Most people cannot even conceive of the size of a trillion, yet our leaders in Washington just keep piling on another trillion here and there as if it’s nothing.
If you scan the corporate media headlines about this bill, all you will hear is that the government averted a shutdown at the last minute. There’s no criticism and even less scrutiny over what’s actually in the bill.
Joe Biden is saying it’s good news for the American people. Really? How exactly?
FOX News reports:
Biden says $1.2T spending package is ‘good news for the American people,’ but Congress’ work isn’t over
President Joe Biden thanked Congressional leaders Saturday after the Senate passed a controversial six-bill government funding package in the early hours of the day following a brief partial government shutdown.
“Thank you to Leaders Schumer and McConnell, Senators Murray and Collins, Speaker Mike Johnson, Leader Jeffries, and Representatives Granger and DeLauro, for their leadership,” Biden said in a statement.
The President called the mammoth $1.2 trillion spending package “a compromise,” which, he said, “means neither side got everything it wanted.”
“But it rejects extreme cuts from House Republicans and expands access to child care, invests in cancer research, funds mental health and substance use care, advances American leadership abroad, and provides resources to secure the border that my Administration successfully fought to include,” Biden said in a statement.
The President proceeded to call the package “good news for the American people.”
“But I want to be clear: Congress’ work isn’t finished,” Biden continued in the statement.
This bill only covers the next six months. Who believes this is sustainable?
From Zero Hedge:
Swamp Wins: Senate Approves $1.2 Trillion Spending Bill, Narrowly Averting Gov’t Shutdown
A partial US government shutdown was averted in the wee hours of Saturday morning as the Senate approved a $1.2 trillion spending package. The measure will now go to President Biden’s desk later today.
The passage of the 1,012-page bill (did any lawmakers actually read the whole thing?) in a 74 to 24 vote concludes several months of drama on Capitol Hill centered around Republicans demanding deeper spending cuts as the federal government spends like drunken sailors, with the national debt recently skyrocketing to over $34.578 trillion.
The legislation provides 75% of the federal government funding for the coming six months. It includes measures to increase military salaries, eliminate funding to the United Nations agency supporting Palestinian refugees, and enhance security along the southern border.
The bill passed shortly after the 12:01 a.m. deadline, indicating that some federal funding expired, but the White House budget office said it would not declare a shutdown.
What are we getting for this massive spending? Does anyone believe our schools will improve or that the southern border will be secured? A few pundits have highlighted some of the stupid things covered in this bill. I’m not wasting my time or yours with that. We all know that idiotic spending makes up the majority of this abomination.
We are being played for suckers by leaders who are robbing us blind.
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We are in the Looting the Empire phase of country downfall, the elite and politicians are stealing public funds.
The old term used to be called plunder.
I am more concerned about Monday and whether or not Trump will post $500 million. God help us, all.
“Thank you to Leaders Schumer and McConnell, Senators Murray and Collins, Speaker Mike Johnson, Leader Jeffries, and Representatives Granger and DeLauro, for their leadership,” Biden said in a statement.
Trump endorsed Mike Johnson to be Speaker of the House. And now Biden thanks Johnson for his support. Trump has no clue about who should be appointed to anything. He is politically tone deaf. Who are all the other idiots that Trump will appoint if he is re-elected?
Trump didn’t “appoint” Johnson, dickhead. And I guarantee that his actual appointments will be better than the cretins Biden has appointed.
The most disgusting dishonor in Washington, DC, affecting US citizens is that we are governed by these endlessly grasping, petty, and self-entitled people who claim they are saving Democracy.
Simply draining the swamp is not enough and will not be sufficient. Salt the earth inside the Beltway and pave it over.
They are taking everything they can just in case President Trump overcomes the steal, prison, murder
Johnson is a traitor, balless traitor
Or, Johnson, like Amy Coney Barrett, has had their family threatened and is now compromised.
Or it’s exactly as it appears, and Johnson got the best deal he could without a shutdown, which we know from heavy past experience would be a huge boost to the Democrat Party.
“huge boost to the Democrat Party”
False, always false.
We have to do what the democrats want or else the democrats will win. That’s your comment. That’s just one reason we lose. The real reason is they are just like you, actually on the other side, the marxist side.
We’ve seen it, over and over. Government shutdowns always help the Democrats. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a Republican president against a Democrat congress, a Democrat president against a Republican congress, or a Republican house of congress against a Democrat one. In all cases a shutdown is the Republicans’ fault, and we always pay for it.
So the republican establishment betrays the values of their constituents and their party to push this garbage through and they still get insulted by the reptile in chief. There’s no pleasing snakes. Probably shouldn’t give them funding. Or maybe that’s just me.
“Abomination” def. The United States Government. There is a lot of ruin in a nation.
Why should billionaires (or anyone) pay ‘ThEir FaRe Share’ when the govt. can simply print money at will??
Go back to the last Clinton Budget as the baseline and increase to account for inflation since then. There’s the new budget. Fit the functions of govt inside that limit.
Simple and easily doable but until enough hell is raised by voters to include running a successful primary campaign to oust go along get along DC establishment types it won’t happen. Most folks would rather just bitch and moan than roll up their sleeves and get it done. No one is gonna do for us politically what we want done if we ain’t willing to join in and work alongside them to make it happen. All of Alabama’s 6 GoP members of the HoR and both our Senators voted NO so that tells you it can be done. Time for voters in other States and CD to join in.
The federal fiscal year runs from October to October. This is March, or half way through the fiscal year.
Can someone explain how we have a ‘shutdown of the government due to lack of funding’ moment now?
Did we not have a full year budget approved for 2024?
Because the House passes a never ending series of short-term Continuing Spending Resolutions that allows the government to continue to spend money ($1.2 TRILLION in this case) for a certain amount of time (IIRC this one gives until the end of the 2024 fiscal year) and when the deadline is reached we get the “OMG! Government Shutdown!!” nonsense and the House duly passes yet another short-term CSR to keep the money flowing. Lather, Rinse, Repeat indefinitely and that’s how the federal government keeps the money flowing, No actual constitutionally mandated Budget needed.
No, just a never ending series of short-term Continuing Spending Resolutions to keep the money flowing without accountability to the taxpayer.
Please be sure to thank Donald Trump for this, as he endorsed Johnson to be Speaker of the House.
When was the last time Congress passed an actual budget, rather than a CR, dingus? By the way, Trump didn’t elect Johnson as Speaker.
I would have thought you’d actually know that, but you’re not very bright.
JR is the typical Trump deranged lunatic. Trump plays politics like everyone else. You other the other hand are transparently marxist.
There is no constitutional mandate for a budget. The entire budget process was only invented in the 1970s.
We haven’t had an actual federal government budget since that piece of trash Paul Ryan tried to lie about increased spending by putting a 10 year budget with immediate massive increases and ‘cuts’ scheduled 5+ years away that he knew damn well would never go into effect.
Pretty much since that point the RINO leadership hasn’t even pretended to attempt to pass an actual budget.
“Did we not have a full year budget approved for 2024?”
We have not had a “regular order” full year budged in more years than I’m willing to look up. I’m having an otherwise good day. Don’t even talk to me about independent appropriations out of committee.
These thieves raided SSI and now they want to blame the GOP. If you are unaware of this see ALGORE saying we need to “put the fund in a lockbox” so it can’t happen again.
The SSI money was put into a lockbox until the democrats just couldn’t stand all that money not being spent on their social programs and they raided the lockbox and spent all the darn money with empty promises that they would replace it at some undetermined future date.
Not exactly. Yes the SSI Trust was issued govt bond. But the funds were repaid with interest. Currently the SSI trust holds about $3.2 Trillion in assets; govt bonds. All of that amount will be exhausted by 2034. At that point the trust fund is empty of accumulated assets but will still have the ability to pay out roughly 75% of benefits from ongoing SSI taxes on the workforce.
FWIW the vast majority of folks receive 100% of the SSI taxes they paid in throughout their working career in the first five years of drawing SSI. For a very few ultra high earners (the top 20%) it takes up to ten years to get back 100% of their SSI taxes.
Now add the interest the money should earn and compensate for inflation.
Playing us for suckers? The implication you are making is they even CARE what we think.
We could fix it easily.
Any year the debt increases, no member of Congress OR THEIR STAFF, gets paid.
That would take a constitutional amendment.
“The Senators and Representatives shall receive a Compensation for their Services, to be ascertained by Law, and paid out of the Treasury of the United States.”
Also, “No law, varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an election of Representatives shall have intervened.”
It isn’t just the spending, the administration is talking about wanting a lot of tax nastiness and much or all of it could be hidden in this “must pass” bill rather than in a proper tax bill to be considered later.
This feral government needs to be shut down. Even aside from any budget considerations. This feral government is waging war on the nation and needs to be stopped. Shutting it down for a while is a good AND NECESSARY start. Seriously.
Yes, by all means, shut down the federal government. If you do this, you are guaranteed to have Biden as your next President, as well as Democratic control of the House and Senate, Is that what you want? Are you wishing for the death of America? If so, you are no different than the left wing communists.
“If so, you are no different than the left wing communists.”
Says a left wing commie.
IOW’s, we have to do what the left wing commies want or the the left wing commies win. Got It?
It’s called compromise. When you need the communists’ help, you can’t get everything your way. Sometimes you have to give them something, or they’ll take their bat and ball and go home.
There is a lot of opinion on this from a guy who hasn’t read the bill. Oh and BTW its maga republicans who don’t read bills, ever. Which is why they keep embarrassing themselves
You never have anything to contribute except acrimony.
You really are terminally stupid.
Why are you here?
Really? Such as? Which MAGA Republicans vote on bills they haven’t read, assuming they’ve been given enough time to make it possible to read them?
It’s the Democrats who have pioneered this practice of passing bills without any member having read them. When the House passed 0bamcare it was impossible for anyone to have read it because no copy of the entire bill even existed. The Democrats were still negotiating among themselves till the last second, so they had no time to even print off a copy of the final text before the vote, let alone for anyone to read it.
It’s well known that MGT and boebert don’t read bills. They are constantly humiliated when it comes to any actual understanding of well anything.
My recollection is that they had 17 days for the first version of the bill and that later versions took months in committe and hearings. So no it’s not clear to me that you have a basis for your assertion.
I’m sorry that Democrats get things done efficiently.
Really? Who exactly “knows” this, and how?
The first version bore little resemblance to what passed, and it was being amended literally while the vote was being called. No version of the full bill existed at the time the vote happened, so nobody could possibly have read it.
“Really? Who exactly “knows” this, and how?”
Everyone in congress, and anyone who pays attention to there complete lack of knowledge of any aspect of any bill
” and it was being amended literally while the vote was being called”
It was amended multiple times, and there was an opportunity to read at each stage its quite different to argue that republicans didn’t read the final version of the bill vs some stage in-between. I cant find any source that backs up your assertion that the bill was being amended as the voting was taking place. Its pretty obvious to me that the main trust of your argument is invalid given the protracted process the act went through. And lets face it Republicans want a free market ‘solution’ to health care so its not clear to me they would ever vote for something like this.
I repeat, who exactly “knows” this? Name some names. Because I think you’re making it up.
Unlike you I wasn’t in kindergarten when this happened. I remember it happening. And that is what happened. There was no opportunity for anyone at all to read the bill.
BartE the commie is an outright liar. Nothing it states is truthful. It’s not just a mistake, it is outright fabrication. It is what the commies do.
Except I can verify my views, can you say the same for yours?
We can bitch and moan all we want but given history over 90% who choose to run again for election will remain in office.. We, the voters, hold the ultimate veto power yet we as voters rarely use it.
They will go home with a few trinkets for the district, the party committees will discharge primary challenges and the sheep will flock to pols and keep them in office
Thank god we nominated a conservative republican like Trump, who wouldn’t do dumb things like blowing up the budget during COVID, when massive spending during a supply shock would initiate inflation. /sarc
Yes… I get it… you’re a MAGA republican who hypocritically complains about deficits. Dont look at me. I voted conservative. You know, small government. Not bump stock bans and deficits out the wazoo.
“expands access to child care, invests in cancer research, funds mental health and substance use care, advances American leadership abroad, and provides resources to secure the border that my Administration successfully fought to include”
Not a one of which is a constitutionally delegated power of the federal government, except for the last, and that one is a bald-faced lie.
Nothing in the constitution prohibits federal government acting on these issues, it gives broad powers for Congress to spend money as it sees fit.
No, it doesn’t do that at all. Congress’s authority to act derives entirely from Article 1 section 8, which carefully enumerates those subjects on which it can legislate. It has no authority to act outside the listed powers.
This is just outright false with respect to powers Article I, Section 4 provides powers and there are a number of powers that are inherent and implied. “The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States” This clearly indicates that congress can provide for general welfare, which is a broad category
No, it does not. It says Congress can lay taxes to provide for the general welfare. Congress still needs specific authority for any spending it makes. It can’t spend money just because it thinks it’s in the “general welfare”. It’s not a “good and plenty clause”, as that idiot John Conyers claimed. If it were then there wouldn’t be any point in enumerating its powers, would there? The framers and ratifiers were very clear about this: the congress was not to have any general police power or any power not specifically granted.
Section 4 only allows Congress to override state regulation of congressional elections. Nothing else.
Let me spell that out in small words for you.
Congress decides something would be a good idea to do. The first question is whether it’s authorized to do that; if there is no clause in A1 § 8, then it can’t do it and that’s it.
Suppose it does fall under one of congress’s enumerated powers, e.g. it wants to build a post office in some location where one is needed. Now it needs to fund it somehow. The taxing power says it can lay taxes to pay the national debt; well, this is not that. It can also lay taxes to provide for the common defense; nope, a post office in the back of beyond doesn’t do that. Ah, but it can lay taxes to provide for the general welfare. If it decides that the general welfare of the whole USA would be enhanced by a post office in that location, then it can use tax money to pay for building it.
But suppose it wants to build a concert hall or football arena next to the post office. That too, it thinks, would enhance the general welfare. It can’t do so because that is not one of its enumerated powers.
The process is Kabuki theater on the Potomac. The RINO’s get rolled every time by threats of a government shutdown. It’s like Charlie Brown and Lucy and the football exepet that when our nation’s financial health is at stake it’s not funny.
They’re not getting rolled, they are on the other side.
Of course the fuck up that is my Senator, Bill Cassidy, voted for it. I knew Kennedy wouldn’t.
I dislike that man more and more each day.
We need to level the pain threshhold. At present, government employees and beneficiaries lose NOTHING by holding out for their budget increases. Oh, sure, they may have to wait a few weeks for their payoff, but, rest assured, they WILL get their cash. And, they will have “earned” that money without having to work for it. They never have to make up that furlough time.
It’s past time to share the pain. In the future, employees and beneficiaries should LOSE that cash, should the government go to shutdown status.
And, if furloughed, the employees will have a choice, Be physically present and conducting business in extended days and/or weekends/holidays once back to work, or lose that money – and any accrued vacation days that they would have gotten during that furlough.