18 Republican senators and nine GOP members of the House of Representatives voted with a majority of Democratic lawmakers to pass a $1.7 trillion spending bill last Thursday. The package will fund the Federal Government through 2023. Critics denounce the bill as sabotage of the incoming Congress’ ability to do the people’s will.

The omnibus bill passed in the senate 68-29 and 225-201 in the House. It will fund the government through September 2023 and includes military support of Ukraine, a ban on the TikTok app on federal employees’ devices, and millions of dollars in funding of Leftist-driven earmarks. The Hyde Amendment – a policy that protects taxpayers from forcibly funding abortions – is not included.

Conservatives called the move during the lame-duck session a “stunning act of betrayal.” Democrats have had both branches of Congress and the presidency during all of 2022, conservatives say, but rushed to pass this budget bill only after Republicans won a House majority in November.

Critics of the spending package say that it will hinder the incoming GOP-led House’s ability to function. Control of the House has changed hands four times since 1994. In each case, the outgoing majority did not pass an omnibus bill, leaving the work of legislation to the duly elected newcomers.

Since 1994, the House majority has changed four times. In each case, the outgoing majority didn’t pass an omnibus appropriations bill during the lame-duck session following the election. In each case, the outgoing majority left the hard work of legislating to the representatives the American people had just elected.

The 18 Republican senators who voted for the bill are Roy Blunt, John Boozman, Shelley More Capito, Susan Collins, John Cornyn, Tom Cotton, Lindsey Graham, Jim Inhofe, Mitch McConnell, Jerry Moran, Lisa Murkowski, Rob Portman, Mitt Romney, Mike Rounds, Richard Shelby, John Thune, Roger Wicker, and Todd Young.

The 9 members of the House are John Katko, Chris Jacobs, Brian Fitzpatrick, Fred Upton, Adam Kinzinger, Rodney Davis, Steve Womack, Jaime Herrera Beutler, and Liz Cheney.

 

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