Sens To McConnell: Stop Spendathon Till New Congress Can Vote
By: Jordan Boyd (The Federalist)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Sens. Mike Lee, Ted Cruz, Rick Scott, and Mike Braun are warning Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell against greenlighting Democrats' massive omnibus spending bill before the newly elected, GOP-controlled House of Representatives is officially sworn in.
The coalition of senators sent a letter on Wednesday urging the GOP head to ignore pleas to extend the government's funding beyond when the new Congress takes office to encompass the entire 2023 fiscal year, including increased spending on Ukraine.
"We must not accept anything other than a short-term Continuing Resolution that funds the federal government until shortly after the 118th Congress is sworn in," the senators wrote. "No additional spending, no additional policy priorities should be included. Any urgent items that require the Senate's attention should be considered separately and under their own terms."
If McConnell rushes to pass the omnibus bill without the new House's input, the Republican senators say he will be guilty of directly contradicting voters' wishes.
"On November 8, 2022, the American people made their voices heard at the ballot box. Using the Democratic process, millions of Americans sent a message - they want divided power in Washington to curb the worst excesses of both parties," the lawmakers wrote.
Already, McConnell has signaled strong support for overruling his voters in favor of showering Washington with more taxpayer dollars.
"There's widespread agreement that we'd be better off with an omnibus than a [continuing resolution]," McConnell said Tuesday, echoing Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's words.
Lee, Cruz, Scott, and Braun, however, explicitly state that they "stand with the voters" on this issue.
"We believe it would be both imprudent, and a reflection of poor leadership, for Republicans to ignore the will of the American people and rubber stamp an omnibus spending bill that funds ten more months of President Biden's agenda without any check on his reckless policies that have led to a 40-year high in inflation," the senators said.
Already, Americans across the nation are feeling the effects of excessive spending led by President Joe Biden and the Democrats. Their "$4.8 trillion increase in the national deficit," the senators note, is weighing on Americans in the form of an average cost increase of $753 per month.
"It should be up to the new Congress to set spending priorities for the remainder of this fiscal year," the senators wrote. "Now is the time for Republicans to get serious about leading America towards a better future."
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