That didn’t work: Congressional leaders’ plan to quickly pass a bipartisan spending deal to keep the federal government open through March is currently in disarray as Republicans push back against early passage of the 1,547-page bill. .
The deal announced Monday night includes $100 billion in additional disaster-related spending, $10 billion in farm subsidies, pay increases for lawmakers, and a long list of other unrelated and questionable policy proposals.
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Republican fiscal hawks were among the first to express displeasure with the bill’s spending increases and House Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-Louisiana) concessions to Democrats.
I wanted to see it @SpeakerJohnson This bill, tall but full of pork, shows that he is a weak, feeble man.
Debts will continue to increase. Eventually the dollar will collapse. Democrats are ignorant and big government Republicans are complicit.
It’s a sad day for America.
— Rand Paul (@RandPaul) December 18, 2024
This was quickly followed by a frantic post from Elon Musk, billionaire and co-leader of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), slamming the spending plan and leaving the agency in limbo until President-elect Donald Trump takes office. He supported calls to close.
Any Representative or Senator who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out within two years!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 18, 2024
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 18, 2024
Either big changes happen or America goes bankrupt. Therefore, major changes are bound to occur. https://t.co/JLDBbvt41w
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 18, 2024
Finally, Trump himself expressed his opinion. In a joint statement with Vice President-elect J.D. Vance, the president-elect urged Republicans in Congress to “act smart and tough” and pass a spending plan stripped of concessions to Democrats, coupled with long-term rate increases. instructed. debt limit.
Statement from President Donald J. Trump and Vice President-elect J.D. Vance:
The stupidest and most incompetent thing Congressional Republicans ever did was allow our country to reach the debt ceiling in 2025. This is a mistake and something that must be addressed now.
— Posts from Donald J. Trump’s Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) December 18, 2024
Notably, President Trump’s criticism of the spending deal led to his support for including additional disaster relief and farm subsidies in the bill.
Is a shutdown looming? In response to Republican anger, Johnson put on a firefighter’s helmet and tried to rally support for his short-term spending plan, arguing it was the best deal anyone could hope for.
“We have to get this done, because here’s the key. By doing this, we’ll wipe everything out and President Trump will come back with an America First policy. We’re getting ready,” he said. said About “Fox and Friends” new york times.
Such comments seem unlikely to quell the general anger of members of Mr Johnson’s own party.
Ironically, Johnson became Speaker of the House on a promise to restore regular order to Congress and stop spending bills that had been hastily assembled behind closed doors that no one had time to read or modify.
That’s a good idea. as reasonPeter Suderman writes: new york times in october last year“There is little democratic accountability for the budget process, as spending bills are negotiated not only out of sight of the public but out of sight of most members of Congress. It leads to a general sense of distrust.” Perhaps it helped cement the perception that Congress was dysfunctional. ”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has proven unable to deliver on his promise of a more careful and democratic budgeting process. His failure could lead to a government shutdown or even the termination of his chairmanship.
Show Must Go On: When it comes to transactions that require you to spend money in a hurry, business insider has been published bomb report Yesterday, we spoke about the results of a pandemic-era relief program aimed at providing relief to musicians and entertainment venues that have suffered losses as a result of COVID-19 closures.
At the end of 2020, then-President Donald Trump signed into law The spending bill included a $16 billion Shuttered Venue Operator Grant Program. The program, the cause of Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), was touted as a necessary measure to provide relief to independent artists and venues forced to close due to the pandemic.
Almost immediately, it became clear that the subsidy program would fund wealthy performers who would be able to weather the economic impact of the pandemic without even harsher taxpayer support.
business insiderSubsequent news reports revealed some truly scandalous spending stemming from the program. The federal grant will help pay for Lil Wayne’s 2021 Coachella performance (the rapper did not perform), Chris Brown’s explosive party and trip to Mexico, and other similarly amazing perks for musicians and artists alike. The money was spent on expenses.
It is unclear whether this spending actually violated the program’s rules, which is itself a scandal. great report from business insider This is a reminder of why it would be a good idea for Congress to scrutinize billions of taxpayer dollars a little more carefully.
DC scene: Last night at the Howard Theater in DC. reasonNick Gillespie and Matt Welch debate of bulwark‘s Tim Miller and Sarah Longwell talk about having to ‘pick a side’ in politics. In another failure of democracy, the audience decided that they actually had to choose a side.
somehow @Nick Gillespie talking about bob dylan @reason @BulwarkOnline discussion. But it’s still pretty awesome. @SarahLongwell25 @MattWelch @Timodoc pic.twitter.com/CfQnPJ9ket
— Katherine Manguward (@kmanguward) December 19, 2024
quick hit
- Backpack manufacturer Peak Design mysteriously… trying This is to assure angry customers that they are playing no constructive role in identifying Luigi Mangione, the alleged shooter of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Peter Dering, CEO of Peak Design, called police after seeing surveillance footage of a gunman in possession of Peak Design products.
- The United States Department of Justice file a lawsuit Georgia city accused of trying to shut down a local church’s homeless ministry. There are many such cases.
- Will artificial intelligence figure out the pork in the next awful omnibus spending bill?
This year will be the last time the US will introduce a spending bill like this one that will completely dismantle AI and not go after pork and nepotism.
I’ve been using local AI in this area for several years.
Soon you will understand Bill’s true honesty.
The world is changing now. pic.twitter.com/7DDDc3Njqe
— Brian Roemmele (@BrianRoemmele) December 18, 2024
- Is Iran’s supreme leader a hopeless romantic? Indeed, he is posting things as is.
“a #woman “Women are delicate flowers, not housekeepers.” Women should be treated like flowers in the home. Flowers need to be taken care of. Its freshness and sweet aroma should be benefited and used to perfume the air.
— Khamenei (@khamenei_ir) December 18, 2024
- wall street journal report How lower-level aides continued to run the White House under President Joe Biden’s administration.
