I know there’s a lot going on in the world today, but can we just take a moment to reflect on how crazy it is that the United States House of Representatives just passed a $1.5 TRILLION spending bill that no one has read?
The House passed an expansive $1.5 trillion spending bill on Wednesday night that includes funding for the government through the end of the fiscal year…
So that piddling, measly $1.5 trillion isn’t the full budget, it’s just through the end of the fiscal year, which is to say September 30. That’s more than Ronald Reagan’s first two budgets for their entire fiscal years combined.
…emergency aid for Ukraine’s war effort, but also a number of ambiguous programs abroad…
Really, who doesn’t like paying for “ambiguous programs abroad”?
..with pandemic relief funding being thrown out at the last minute.
The omnibus package was bifurcated into two votes, both of which received bipartisan support: one for defense spending and one for domestic social spending. For the former, which included funding for the Pentagon, Department of Homeland Security, and national security, the House voted 361-69. For the latter, the vote was 260-171. The renewal of funding for the government came before a federal funding was set to expire Friday.
Over 2,700 pages in length…
And here’s how you know that no single human being read all 2,700 pages, because it was unveiled yesterday. Of course, that’s the entire point, so no one can point out the graft and payouts earmarked for political cronies.
…the bill includes approximately $14 billion for humanitarian, security, and economic support for Ukraine and Eastern European countries as they counter the Russian invasion but also under $40 million for “democracy programs” for Venezuela, an authoritarian socialist country. Another provision allocates $6 million in spending to an international leadership fund with some Russian recipients that are “engaging in free market development, humanitarian activities, and civic engagement.” However, the money will “not be used for officials of the central government of Russia,” it specifies.
The $15.6 billion in Covid-19 funding was scrapped due to a disagreement between the parties over how to finance it. Republicans had proposed redirecting previously allocated pandemic funds from state governments to offset the federal cost of Covid-19 relief, which Democrats opposed. The White House and Democratic leaders were reportedly angered that the Covid-19 money was abandoned, with a number of members airing their discontents and potentially jeopardizing the entire spending measure. The removal of the funds came as a shock to many rank-and-file Democrats and delayed the legislative process for hours.
Inflation is hitting 40 year highs, and the U.S. budget deficit for this year is estimated at over a trillion dollars, but the federal budget never, ever undergoes a diet. The last balanced budget was back in 2001.
Uncontrolled spending is the root issue for many of our current woes, and if left unchecked will be the ruin of this nation.
Tags: Budget, Russo-Ukrainian War, Ukraine, waste, Welfare State
What is the point of voting Republican at all if the leadership can’t even whip a party line vote against this kind of insanity? With friends like these, who needs traitors? All this talk of a “red wave” this November, but it’s clear that it won’t really change a thing. Stay home, let the Democrats take the country off the cliff sooner rather than later. We’re doomed if we do and doomed if we don’t, so why bother?
“Uncontrolled spending is the root issue for many of our current woes, and if left unchecked will be the ruin of this nation.”
That is exactly what the Left wants so that they can have a Great Reset in order to institute their Socialist dream in America.
Got a link to the vote? I’d like to see whether or not my Rep voted for this abomination. Wouldn’t surprise me, and I expect Cornyn will vote for it when it gets to the Senate.
Nevermind, I found the votes (both House and Senate). Unsurprisingly McCaul (my Rep) voted “yea”, as did Pirate Dan down in Houston. Any Cornyn as well in the Senate.
RINOS. If I didn’t hate people in general so much I’d consider running against McCaul (or Cornyn) just so they won’t be unopposed next time. Though at the rate the world is falling apart, there may well not BE a next time:-(.
So, Laurence, how does “Senator Person” sound to you?
Sorry, “Lawrence”:-). Should’ve double checked before posting.
That 2001 “balanced budget” was also an accounting trick. The national debt was higher in 2001 than 2000 and higher in 2002 than 2001. The debt is the aggregate of deficits to that point not paid off, therefore, no matter what the spinmasters tell you, if the debt increased, there was a budget deficit.
If John Carter retired, I was willing to jump in if no one else did. But I’m no longer in his district.
I fear that my tiny amount of statewide political support falls woefully short of that necessary to wage an effective campaign for the U.S. senate, even a guerilla campaign. And though I’m technically a millionaire (thanks to Austin home prices), I’m not remotely rich enough to run either.
In 2012, Glenn Addison waged an effective guerilla campaign for the Texas U.S. senate seat eventually won by Ted Cruz. Addison had a schedule packed with events, attended all the debates and town halls, and was generally a solid candidate who did the work. He got 1.65% of the vote…
[…] “I know there’s a lot going on in the world today, but can we just take a moment to reflect on h… […]
[…] To be precise, it’s not government spending per se that is causing inflation. If all the money spent by government was raised by taxation, it would not be inflationary. Inflation is caused by excessive manufacture of new money. As it happens, that has been done and continues to be done by the Federal Reserve, in order to fund the huge Federal Government deficits. Same diff. Battleswarmblog: […]
…the bill includes approximately $14 billion for humanitarian, security, and economic support for Ukraine and Eastern European countries…
The $15.6 billion in Covid-19 funding was scrapped due to a disagreement between the parties over how to finance it.
Here’s a radical thought: take that $14 billion you’re giving Ukraine and use if for Covid funding. It’s really not that hard.