Free Republic

To the Freepers blaming Trump for the Omnibus: Please state what he should have done including the aftermath. Many wanted a veto, but never address the subsequent steps necessary for a ‘win’. I love Free Republic and the thoughtful, intelligent commentary. Yet I was stunned to see so many comment on various posts with such little insight. Trump cannot write legislation nor can he make politicians do anything. What role do voters play? It seems that most expect Trump to fix everything while we as voters do nothing. We voted for the uniparty. We don’t march on Washington, we send...

POTUS Trump just signed an Omnibus bill, NOT a federal budget! The appropriations in the bill are "suggestions" of how Trump SHOULD spend the money. Since this is not a budget, Trump is not bound by The Constitution to spend the money as appropriated. The Demonrats screwed themselves again by not passing a federal budget. I'm here to tell you that Trump's Wall shall indeed be funded with money from this Omnibus bill! President Donald J. Trump outsmarted these fools, once again!! Haahaa!!

And let's begin by discussing how to maintain economic growth by controlling and eventually eliminating the problem of Federal deficits. We have had a balanced budget only eight times in the last 57 years. For the first time in 14 years, the Federal Government spent less in real terms last year than the year before. We took $73 billion off last year's deficit compared to the year before. The deficit itself has moved from 6.3 percent of the gross national product to only 3.4 percent. And perhaps the most important sign of progress has been the change in our view...

Want some perspective on the debt ceiling negotiations and calls for tax increases in exchange for spending cuts? You might want to consider a cautionary tale dating back to 1982 when President Ronald Reagan agreed to a deficit-reduction compromise—and a result he didn’t bargain for. Former Attorney General Edwin Meese III, who served under President Reagan, and Heritage Action for America’s Michael Needham write in today’s USA Today of the agreement Reagan struck in 1982 in hopes of tackling high deficits. He agreed to a modest increase in business taxes (which he didn’t like) in exchange for spending cuts (which...

You owe it to your country, Sir, to pick them up, dust them off, and ready them for the coming new battle. Unfortunately, Round 2 has already slipped away from ‘Making America Great Again’ to ‘Saving America Again’ It was, as a caller told Rush Limbaugh today, a snake bite in the butt, President Trump. Your suddenly changing course and signing the outrageous Omnibus Bill, that is. Up to now, you’ve done a good job remaining loyal to the things you promised some 63 million people who voted for you. Now many of them will say you are a politician...

Just hours after threatening a veto, President Trump said Friday afternoon that he had signed the sweeping $1.3 trillion spending bill passed by Congress early Friday and averted a government shutdown. In a morning tweet, Trump said he might veto the omnibus bill because it does nothing to address the fate of young undocumented immigrants known as “dreamers” and does not fully fund his border wall. But speaking to reporters at the White House about four hours later, Trump said he had decided to sign the bill despite his reservations, arguing that it provides much-needed funding for the military, including...

The satellite communications industry was shocked to see a $600 million addition for WGS-11 and WGS-12.WASHINGTON — In a surprise last-minute add-on, House appropriators included $600 million in the Air Force budget for two high-capacity communications satellites made by Boeing that the Pentagon did not request. The omnibus appropriations bill for fiscal year 2018 funds two Wideband Global SATCOM satellites, WGS-11 and WGS-12. The Air Force did not request funding for these spacecraft nor were these satellites included in any previous marks of the congressional defense committees, or in the fiscal year 2019 budget request. This was a very large...

Update: President Trump announced that he is signing the spending bill as a "matter of national security." But he also said, "there are a lot of things I’m unhappy about" in the measure. Earlier report Just hours after threatening a veto, President Trump appeared set to back down and sign a sweeping $1.3 trillion spending bill passed by Congress early Friday and avoid a government shutdown, according to senior legislative aides. In a morning tweet, Trump said he might veto the omnibus bill because it does nothing to address the fate of young undocumented immigrants known as “dreamers” and does...

On Thursday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “Outnumbered Overtime,” House Freedom Caucus member Scott Perry (R-PA) stated that no one could have read the omnibus bill before the House voted on it. Perry said, “[W]e get the bill, 2,232 pages last night at 8:30. … But you could have stayed up all night anyhow, into right now, and read the bill, and you still wouldn’t be done. So, it — look, it’s not good when the other side does it, and it’s not good when this side does it. We want to know what we’re voting on.”

Wow, Omnibus bill rushed through both House and Senate without discussion, now to President Trump. Not just the balance of the year, but for many items, for the next three years! Planned Parenthood, token amount for wall and prohibition to build further, funding for sanctuary cities, funding for ObamaCare, new 2nd amendment infringements, and more.

RUSH: Here’s Chuck You Schumer. This is in Washington today on the Senate floor. Audio sound bite No. 24. SCHUMER: Overall, we Democrats are very happy with what we’ve been able to accomplish on a number of very important priorities to the middle class in America: infrastructure, education, opioid treatment, mental health, child care. This spending agreement brings that era of austerity to an unceremonious end and represents one of the most significant investments in the middle class in decades. RUSH: I don’t know, folks. I just want to puke when I hear this stuff. I just want to vomit....

The 2,232 page Omnibus bill includes a specific clause barring funding for a wall on the southern border that mirrors the new prototypes already there. The bill reads: The amounts designated in subsection (a)(2) through (a)(4) shall only be available for operationally effective designs deployed as of the date of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017, (Public Law 115–31), such as currently deployed steel bollard designs, that prioritize agent safety.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House easily approved a bipartisan $1.3 trillion spending bill Thursday that pours huge sums into Pentagon programs and domestic initiatives ranging from building roads to combatting the nation's opioid abuse crisis, but left Congress in stalemate over shielding young Dreamer immigrants from deportation and curbing surging health insurance premiums. The vote was 256-167, a one-sided tally that underscored the popularity of a budget deal among party leaders that provided enough money to address many of both sides' priorities. Further highlighting how eager lawmakers were to claim victories, the House approved the 2,232-page package — which stood...

House Republicans’ spending chief told his colleagues Wednesday that there is no waste in the $1.3 trillion spending bill lawmakers are rushing through Congress this week. “We’ve worked to make sure not a dollar is wasted,” Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, New Jersey Republican, said as he defended the massive bill before the House Rules Committee, pushing back against bipartisan frustration from lawmakers who said they couldn’t stomach voting on a 2,232-page bill with less than 24 hours’ time to read it. But no less than President Trump disagreed with him, taking to Twitter to say he “had to waste money on...

Coongressional leaders have finalized a sweeping $1.3 trillion budget bill that substantially boosts military and domestic spending but leaves behind young immigrant “Dreamers,” deprives President Donald Trump some of his border wall money, and takes only incremental steps to address gun violence. As negotiators stumbled toward an end-of-the-week deadline to fund the government or face a federal shutdown, House Speaker Paul Ryan dashed to the White House amid concerns Trump’s support was wavering. Although some conservative Republicans balked at the size of the spending increases and the rush to pass the bill, the White House said the president backed the...

Congressional leaders finalized a sweeping $1.3 trillion budget bill Wednesday that substantially boosts military and domestic spending but leaves behind young immigrant “Dreamers,” deprives President Donald Trump some of his border wall money and takes only incremental steps to address gun violence. As negotiators stumbled toward an end-of-the-week deadline to fund the government or face a federal shutdown, House Speaker Paul Ryan dashed to the White House amid concerns Trump’s support was wavering. The White House later said the president backed the legislation, even as some conservative Republicans balked at the size of the spending increases and the rush...

UPDATE - It looks like a deal has been reached, with Democrats sounding pretty darned happy about it. Paul Ryan also seems upbeat. But what, exactly, will this monster of a spending snowball include? Details are just beginning to emerge, but thus far it looks like Obamacare doesn't receive funding, and DACA has not been addressed -- but President Trump got at least some of his border security money: Philip Klein ✔ @philipaklein Ds and Rs finalizing $1.2 trillion spending deal -- No Obamacare funding or DACA, but has border security money, @susanferrechio reports https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/congress/congressional-leaders-finalizing-12-trillion-spending-deal … 11:08 AM - Mar...

Trudeau is tanking the economic health of his country in order to pay homage to a myth and to keep his progressive pals happy We all knew that Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, who always got by living on Daddy’s Trust Fund ever since getting out of his diapers, knew zilch about budgets. Budgets always balance themselves—according to him.

".... NASA has decided to forgo construction of a second mobile launcher for its Space Launch System (SLS). Instead, they will modify the one they have....The first mobile launcher was built and modified for an estimated $300 to $500 million. NASA obviously has decided that the politics & cost is too great, as would be the political embarrassment of admitting they spent about a half a billion for a launcher they will only use once...What this does however is push back the first manned SLS/Orion launch. At present, the first unmanned mission is likely to go in June 2020... If...

Posted on Twitter: Hello, effective March 26, Avis and Budget will no longer provide the NRA member discount.~Susan