Posted on 03/22/2018 11:04:15 AM PDT by Sopater
Republicans rolled out a two-thousand-page-plus omnibus spending bill Wednesday night, which they expect to pass by Friday's deadline, giving no one any real chance to read it.
And while there is much in it for Democrats to like, there is much for conservatives to oppose, as Republicans ignore campaign promises to limit spending and grow government instead.
Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, appeared on Fox News around 10 o'clock last night, telling host Laura Ingraham that he's read only about 200 pages of the 2,232-page bill, and "this is not about draining the swamp," he said.
"I mean, we continue to fund sanctuary cities. We continue to fund Planned Parenthood. We don't build the wall, but yet we put money in for a tunnel. The last time I checked, when the president was campaigning, he wasn't campaigning for a tunnel between New Jersey and New York. It was campaigning about a border wall on our southern border, and so, you know, there's a lot to be disappointed. We're still going through this. But I'm not very optimistic there will be conservative wins in this."
The New York-New Jersey tunnel is the pet project of New York-area Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. On Thursday, House Speaker Paul Ryan told "Fox & Friends" it's up to the Trump administration to decide whether New York gets the money for the tunnel. But an aide to Chuck Schumer told The Associated Press the tunnel is likely to get more than half of the the $900-million sought for the project this year.
Appearing with Meadows, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, an Illinois Democrat, was smiling. He said the bill funds "a lot of shared priorities," including military and domestic programs. He pointed to funding for the opioid crisis, the National Institutes of Health, and veterans.
"I'm hopeful that we can come to a compromise by tomorrow," Krishnamoorthi said.
Meadows said the fact that Krishnamoorthi, a Democrat, was smiling is a problem:
"Here's one of the interesting things. Yes, we'll end up with a trillion dollar deficit that probably will come out in October of this year, trillion-dollars-plus. But here's the other interesting thing. You don't have to read the fine print to understand that we're going to grow the size of government by 12 to 13 percent. So When you're looking at that kind of growth, I don't know that his (Krishnamoorthi's) district or my district, anybody back home saw a 13 percent increase in their wages but yet we're somehow going to give government a raise like that?" Meadows asked.
"Here's the other problem, Laura, is this. We have a Republican-controlled House. We have a Republican-controlled Senate. And we have a Republican in the White House. And we have a Democrat here tonight saying how great this bill is. There is a problem there when you have that."
"This is a good deal for Democrats," Ingraham agreed.
Krishnamoorthi said if the bill rebuilds military programs, he's happy.
"Maybe we should think about that next time we commit our troops to some godforsaken country," Ingraham interjected. "Maybe we should think about what it's going to cost before we commit our troops again to another multiple deployment intervention."
Meadows said, "If we wanted to fund the military, why didn't we just put forth the funds to fund the military and deal with the nondefense discretionary (spending) separate. But somehow we put them together so that we grow the size of government. That's the problem."
Ingraham noted that Republicans have broken their promise to give the American people and lawmakers three days to read the bill. "I would say 98 percent of them, and I'm being charitable, will not have read this," she said. "And we're going to have to pass it to see what's in it. We're back in that stage." Ingraham said Congress should return to regular order.
Krishnamoorthi agreed: "I'm really disappointed that Speaker Ryan didn't present us with this particular bill sooner than tonight. We need regular order around here so -- I'm rank and file, I'm not leadership. I don't run the trains around here. All I can say is, I need more time to read through this thing. I'd like to work with people like Congressman Meadows and make it a better bill. But if the choice is not funding the troops, not taking care of the veterans, not taking care of the opioid crisis, and a shutdown, I can't do that," Krishnamoorthi said.
Ingraham noted that the Republican leadership is putting Krishnamoorthi and all lawmakers in that position: "And it's the way Washington works. It's like, you gotta do what you gotta do, you gotta pass it because otherwise the troops aren't going to get--it's just ridiculous! We cannot do this to the American taxpayers and our future generations," Ingraham said, concluding the interview.
The GOP deserves to lose control of Congress this fall.
Stupid idiots.
The GOP is trying to lose in November.
They see it as the only way to block Trump from stopping the Cheap Labor Express.
Why do we even have two parties, if they both do basically the same thing?
Why is Donald Trump going to put his signature to this Democrat monstrosity?
Well then “Republicans” are pretty damned stupid, aren’t they?
Except on the surface of one or two “hot button” social issues we do not have two parties any more. We have the Uniparty.
Trump should leave the UNI-Party and start his own, he has nothing to lose. Millions of Americans would back him. Take on this Corrupt Pig Party.
I’m completely and utterly disgusted with this bill.
It’s so over the top, I can only conclude the magnitude and content was done purposely to harm Trump, lose the House in the next election, or to show just how dug-in the establishment is against Trump.
We win little battles, but then take steps backward with crap like this. It makes it hard to continue the good fight.
Breaking News from the White House: The Donald has Surrendered, he will sign this monstrous, anti-democratic, porky pig, vomitous mess
150 “Republicans” and 100 Democrats passed it earlier today. Why even bother to vote Republican? Shame on them all and shame on President Trump if he signs this.
The GOPe wants to stop MAGA but don’t want their finger prints on it. The easiest way to do that is depress GOP base enthusiasm and lose the House.
“The GOP deserves to lose control of Congress this fall.....”
Stupid idiots.”
That is the opposite of how the left reacts when them Dims get wobbly on them. They DO NOT “ditch” the Dim party, the go out and get heavily activist to boost their share of the party, which is why they have been winning the U.S. Congress so often.
Taking the “I’ll quit fighting” stance is like agreeing to be double teamed - 1st by the RINOS in Wash D.C. and then by the Dims. IT HAS NEVER WON US ANYTHING.
What it all means is we have to fight harder IN THE PRIMARIES, not lay down and fight less. Us laying down and fighting less is what the Uniparty wants us to do. We have to retire before November NOT “the GOP” but the GOP Congress critters that are not delivering on their promises, so we have more who are new and exited candidates running in November.
That is the opposite of how the left reacts when them Dims get wobbly on them.
Show me one time in 8 years the Congressional Dems substantively opposed the Kenyan on a major issue. You can’t. That’s the difference right there and why the GOP needs to be burned to the ground. Both parties are controlled by progressives. It couldn’t be more clear.
Pelosi: "We Have to Pass the Bill So That You Can Find Out What Is In It
The GOP deserves to lose control of Congress this fall.
Stupid idiots.
There can not be another time in American history where a political party so disrespected it’s own base. The people that elected them! I loath the careerist GOP more than Democrats hate the military.
Who wrote it?
We KNOW it wasn’t the GOP-e
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.