Fifty-six congressional Republicans are urging their colleagues in the House and Senate to vote against a wasteful, stopgap spending measure that would fund the federal government — and a number of Democrats’ wasteful wish-list items — through the middle of December.
In a letter sent to his Republican colleagues in the House of Representatives, Texas Rep. Chip Roy explained how Congress’s current spending habits are “fueling rampant inflation and funding the Biden administration’s radical agenda,” which includes “empowering authoritarian bureaucrats at agencies like the IRS and FBI, implementing open-border policies that are threatening [American] communities, imposing COVID-19 mandates that shut down schools,” and “forcing [U.S.] military servicemembers out of their jobs, and advancing self-destructive energy policies.”
“As the September 30th federal funding deadline approaches, Republicans must do what is necessary to ensure that not one additional penny will go toward this administration’s radical, inflationary agenda,” the letter said. “Any legislation that sets the stage for a ‘lame duck’ fight on government funding gives Democrats one final opportunity to pass that agenda.”
To date, the letter has been signed by 42 House Republicans. Utah Sen. Mike Lee has also sent a similarly worded letter to his GOP colleagues in the Senate, which has garnered 14 signers total.
With funding for the federal government set to run out by the end of the week, Congress is scrambling to pass some form of a Continuing Resolution, or “CR,” to avert a partial government shutdown. Previous estimates have shown that the vast majority of the federal government remains fully operational during a shutdown, with only about 17 percent of total federal operations ceasing during such an event.
Released late Monday night by Senate Democrat leadership, the proposed spending package would keep the government funded through Dec. 16 and, per usual, includes numerous garbage spending items.
The legislation “includes roughly $12 billion for Ukraine assistance,” NPR reported on Tuesday, which would bring the U.S. spending total for the country Russia invaded earlier this year to a whopping $65 billion.
The measure also includes “$1 billion to boost funding for a low income home heating program,” as well as legislation drafted by Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., that would overhaul “how the government approves permits for energy production.”
Manchin had previously negotiated with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to have the bill attached to the CR in exchange for supporting the deceptively named “Inflation Reduction Act.”
“Why aren’t all Republicans on [this] letter,” Roy said during a recent interview, citing his efforts to fiscally stymie Biden’s agenda. “If you’re not going to be willing to pick a fight on the border, or pick a fight on vaccine mandates, or pick a fight on the energy destruction of this country … can you at least just not give Democrats the pen again?”
The Senate is currently scheduled to hold a procedural vote on the proposed CR on Tuesday evening, according to NPR.
