Exclusive–Rep. Paul Gosar: Omnibus Is Christmas in the Spring for Liberals and Special Interests

Capitol Christmas Tree
MANDEL NGAN/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

It’s Christmas in March. Today, liberals and special interest groups received a present personally gift-wrapped by leaders in the House and Senate.

This massive spending bill would be more aptly named the OmniBUST Bill for busting through spending limits put in place in 2011. Worse, it provides funding for Planned Parenthood and blocks penalties for Sanctuary Cities. This pork-riddled bill forks over half a billion dollars to build a tunnel for liberal New York Senator Chuck Schumer. This bill also fails to fully fund President Trump’s request for a border wall along the Southern border and does not include language allowing for carrying concealed weapons across state lines – a promise made to me and our entire Republican majority. Hidden in this bill is a section on school safety which prohibits money from being used for guns and gun training.  In other words, none of the Omnibus funds can be used to arm teachers or school resource officers.

Sadly, the bill contains many more provisions that run counter to the conservative principles that we as Republicans were elected to implement. For example, the Omnibus includes provision inserted by liberal California Senator Dianne Feinstein which blocks a 56 million-ton sand and gravel mine from opening in the Soledad Canyon in California despite two contracts being competitively awarded to a company that has already invested $40 million. This amounts to nothing more than a land grab.

I often say that good process builds good policy. With only 12 hours to read this massive, 2,232-page bill and waiving all rules establishing regular order for debate and consideration, Members of Congress were asked to hold their nose and vote.  That requires the impossible task of reading 185 pages per hour.  No one knows what’s in the bill.  I do know that the more I read, the more upset I become.

The omnibus that passed today is completely unacceptable and Americans should be outraged.  It’s a continuation of the status quo that has infuriated my constituents in Arizona and throughout the country. Today, Republicans gave away the turkey in exchange for a slice of bologna.

Congress should be championing tax reform, cutting stifling regulations and getting the federal government out of the way of job creators.  Instead, we are forced to defend this awful legislation.

On a snowy day in Washington, D.C., fittingly reminiscent of Christmas morning, Congress voted to grow the size of government by hundreds of millions. Should Congress really be giving the federal government a raise while adding to our already staggering $21 trillion national debt?

Congressman Paul Gosar represents Arizona’s Fourth Congressional District. He is a member of the board of the House Freedom Caucus.

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