Conservatives’ frustration overflowed as Democrats and the Senate voted on a massive $1.2 trillion spending package, the second half of the “omnibus” bill, in the wee hours of Saturday morning. This move by the Washington “Swamp” is raising eyebrows and revealing some underlying problems in our capitol.
After a 286-134 vote in the House on Friday, the Senate approved the more than 1,000-page spending package with a 74-24 vote. The bill will now be sent to President Joe Biden’s desk, avoiding a government shutdown.
This joint effort, supported by a bipartisan majority in both the House and the Senate, is headed to Biden’s desk nearly halfway through the fiscal year. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) spoke on Tuesday, saying that negotiations were focused on appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The Department of Defense, State, Health and Human Services, Labor, Homeland Security, and other agencies are also covered under this spending package.
Anger boiled over the bill’s rushed appearance as it received final approval at 2:00 a.m. Saturday morning. Republican hardliners in both the House and the Senate spoke out against the late-night decision-making.
Senator Lee (R-UT) shared his sentiment, saying, “I did everything I could to stop it. And improve it…But far too many Republicans wanted to spend like Democrats. Those of us who saw this bill as an unmitigated disaster were sadly outnumbered. I voted ‘no.’” His frustration in the Senate appeared to be shared by Republican Representative Andrew Clyde (GA), who angrily condemned the document by saying, “The House is still expected to vote on this monstrosity TOMORROW MORNING. Washington is beyond broken.”
Clyde mirrored Senator Lee’s concerns about this “disastrous” bill that was pushed through only hours before the vote. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) went so far as to call for the ouster of her Republican counterpart, Speaker Johnson, as she stated, “No Republican in the House of Representatives can in good conscience vote for this bill.”
At 2:32 am—when Americans were sleeping—the Swamp released its second half of the omnibus.
1,012 pages that spend $1.2 TRILLION of taxpayer dollars on disastrous policies.
The House is still expected to vote on this monstrosity TOMORROW MORNING.
Washington is beyond broken. pic.twitter.com/AlZCDYWBKK
— Rep. Andrew Clyde (@Rep_Clyde) March 21, 2024
The Speaker fired back at his opponents in a show of solidarity by saying, “We have to govern. We have to demonstrate that we can keep this thing together and keep the train on the tracks.”
Critics shared Lee’s concerns that this last-minute push was a shock to conservatives, as the “financial services and general government recap” was only released shortly before 3:00 a.m., a mere 16 hours before the vote.
House and Senate Republicans and Democratic leadership were in a literal race against the clock, but many Republicans felt like the proverbial “horse-trading” that went on as a blockade to obvious problems and issues before the bill’s final draft was unveiled. One such concern that Lee noted was the $1.2 trillion price tag on this bill, and as a conservative in good conscience, he had to vote “no” on this matter.
It is understandable why the American public feels like they need to drain the swamp. The votes leading up to the final decision-making didn’t go through without friction, as tempers flared, leading to the final decision. Unfortunately, Washington’s answer to “the people’s business” turned out to be an overspending spree headed to America’s doorstep as Biden prepares to sit in the White House and sign the bill into law.
