By a vote of 286-134 over conservatives’ objections, the House passed a $1.2 trillion spending package late Friday morning avoiding a partial government shutdown.
The bill now goes to the Senate, where it is expected to pass.
The 1,000-plus-page package of bills includes funding for the State, Education, Defense, Labor, Homeland Security, and Health and Human Services departments in fiscal year 2024 as well as for “general government and foreign operations” and the Internal Revenue Service, The Hill reported.
The bill met significant opposition from conservatives who blasted the bill before and after it passed.
“More Republicans voted against the DC Cartel’s minibus than voted for it,” Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., tweeted. “112-101. The Uniparty has once again sold Americans out.”
“Once again, the D.C. Cartel has unified against the American people. We are now on the hook for another $1.2 TRILLION in spending,” Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., said in an X post. “We call it the uniparty for this reason exactly, not even a majority of the majority agreed with this bill.”
While more Republicans in the House opposed the bill than supported it, some came out in favor of its passage.
“Democracy is messy,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said on CNBC the day before, amid opposition to the spending package from conservative House Republicans. “It’s particularly messy right now and in a moment like this, but we have to get the job done and there are some very substantial wins in here.”
Democrats mostly supported the spending bill, with just 22 voting against it.
“We had to work within difficult fiscal constraints—but this bipartisan compromise will keep our country moving forward,” Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash, said Thursday.
Heritage Action for America, the grassroots arm of The Heritage Foundation, issued a press release Thursday evening detailing what’s wrong with the spending bill and identifying it as a key “no” vote on the organization’s legislative scorecard.
“This bill doesn’t deviate from Congress’s charted course toward financial catastrophe and participation in the border crisis,” the key-vote description reads. “Inflation and job losses caused by Congress’s failures to cut spending penalizes America’s working class and those struggling to afford the American dream. The American people have pleaded for responsible spending and border security for years, but unfortunately, this minibus represents a continuation of business as usual.”
Many lawmakers criticized the bill for spending so much but doing so little to provide border security.
“Less than 24 hrs to review – the #SwampOmnibus – 1000+ pages & $1.2 Trillion – busts spending caps to fund the WHO, woke DOD, a weaponized FBI new headq, & 100% fails to stop Progressive Democrats’ mass releases of criminals across our borders,” Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, wrote Thursday in a post on X.
Some proponents said voting against the spending package would be a boon to China. Opponents countered that the bill would empower potential Chinese terrorists crossing the border.
“A vote for today’s atrocious spending bill is a vote for Chinese terrorism,” Rep. Andy Biggs wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “We’ve had over 30,000 illegal aliens from China cross our border under this Administration’s border policies. You vote for it, you own it.”
“Well, the D.C. cartel is at it again. They released a $1.2 trillion minibus at 2:32 a.m. this morning, giving us somewhere in the neighborhood of about 48 hours to review it before they’re going to bring it up for a vote,” Rosendale said in a video he shared on X.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., filed a motion to vacate the chair, meaning to remove Johnson from the speakership. Greene told reporters that the move isn’t personal, but reflects the views of other House conservatives.
This is breaking news and this article will continue to be updated.
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