In late-night drama, Senate passes $1.3 trillion spending bill, averting government shutdown
I'd call this a win for the Democrats..and a horselaugh for every Republican that ran on a platform of fiscal responsibility--this bill is also a slap in the fact to Trump:
"Congress cleared a sweeping $1.3 trillion spending bill early Friday and sent it to President Trump for his signature, staving off a government shutdown with less than 24 hours to spare.
Throughout the maneuvering, the ultimate outcome was not in question: The legislation would pass, bringing budget increases to federal agencies large and small, from the National Institutes of Health to the National Park Service to the Election Assistance Commission.
“Sometimes you save the president from himself,” said Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), arguing the administration would not want to be in the position of cutting something like the NIH budget if a new pandemic comes along. “Look, a new administration always runs on things, and may or may not know government intimately.”
Conservatives fumed at the generous increases for many agencies, with some arguing it undercut their party’s claims to fiscal restraint.
“The Democrats love this bill like the devil loves sin,” said Sen. John Neely Kennedy (R-La.). “I don’t understand why when President Obama does what we’re about to do, it’s bad for the country, but when we do it, it’s good for the country.”
Other Republicans, including House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.), argued the legislation fulfilled Trump’s governing agenda, including increasing military spending and funding a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
“This bill starts construction on the wall,” he told reporters. “It funds our war on opioids. It invests in infrastructure. It funds school safety and mental health. But what this bill is ultimately about, what we’ve fought for so long, is finally giving our military the tools and the resources it needs to do the job.”
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called the bill “a tremendous victory for the American people,” one that keeps domestic agencies robustly funded while turning away Trump’s push for even more money for the border wall and immigration enforcement.
“If you want to think you’re getting a wall, just think it, and sign the bill,” she said.
The bill includes $1.6 billion in funding for construction of a border wall, but that number is far short of the $25 billion in long-term funding that the administration sought, and Democrats also won tight restrictions on how that money can be spent.
I'd call this a win for the Democrats..and a horselaugh for every Republican that ran on a platform of fiscal responsibility--this bill is also a slap in the fact to Trump:
"Congress cleared a sweeping $1.3 trillion spending bill early Friday and sent it to President Trump for his signature, staving off a government shutdown with less than 24 hours to spare.
Throughout the maneuvering, the ultimate outcome was not in question: The legislation would pass, bringing budget increases to federal agencies large and small, from the National Institutes of Health to the National Park Service to the Election Assistance Commission.
“Sometimes you save the president from himself,” said Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), arguing the administration would not want to be in the position of cutting something like the NIH budget if a new pandemic comes along. “Look, a new administration always runs on things, and may or may not know government intimately.”
Conservatives fumed at the generous increases for many agencies, with some arguing it undercut their party’s claims to fiscal restraint.
“The Democrats love this bill like the devil loves sin,” said Sen. John Neely Kennedy (R-La.). “I don’t understand why when President Obama does what we’re about to do, it’s bad for the country, but when we do it, it’s good for the country.”
Other Republicans, including House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.), argued the legislation fulfilled Trump’s governing agenda, including increasing military spending and funding a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
“This bill starts construction on the wall,” he told reporters. “It funds our war on opioids. It invests in infrastructure. It funds school safety and mental health. But what this bill is ultimately about, what we’ve fought for so long, is finally giving our military the tools and the resources it needs to do the job.”
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called the bill “a tremendous victory for the American people,” one that keeps domestic agencies robustly funded while turning away Trump’s push for even more money for the border wall and immigration enforcement.
“If you want to think you’re getting a wall, just think it, and sign the bill,” she said.
The bill includes $1.6 billion in funding for construction of a border wall, but that number is far short of the $25 billion in long-term funding that the administration sought, and Democrats also won tight restrictions on how that money can be spent.
