U.S. Senators Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) voted against the 2018 Omnibus bill that was rushed through the U.S. House and then voted on in the U.S. Senate just after Midnight on Friday.
The $1.3 trillion spending bill passed the U.S. Senate 65-32.
The bill would fund the federal government until September, it exceeds budget caps and adds almost $1 trillion to the national debt. It increases military and domestic spending.
The Omnibus bill also includes:
- Record spending levels. For example, not only does it not include the budget cuts to the U.S Department of Education proposed by the Trump Administration, but it increases spending by over $2.6 Billion raising the total to $70.9 Billion which is record funding for that department.
- Obamacare spending(though they did strip out the stability package and released that in a separate bill).
- Funding for Planned Parenthood.
- Funding for sanctuary cities.
It does not include funding for increased border security.
President Donald Trump threatened a veto it because the bill does not include funding for the border wall and it does not address a fix to DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) recipients.
āI am considering a VETO of the Omnibus Spending Bill based on the fact that the 800,000 plus DACA recipients have been totally abandoned by the Democrats (not even mentioned in Bill) and the BORDER WALL, which is desperately needed for our National Defense, is not fully funded,ā he tweeted on Friday morning.
I am considering a VETO of the Omnibus Spending Bill based on the fact that the 800,000 plus DACA recipients have been totally abandoned by the Democrats (not even mentioned in Bill) and the BORDER WALL, which is desperately needed for our National Defense, is not fully funded.
ā Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 23, 2018
U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) drew attention to the bill by live tweeting the bill as he attempted to read the bill before the Senate vote.
Ernst and Grassley were joined in their opposition by 21 of their Republican colleagues such as U.S. Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX), Paul, Mike Lee (R-UT), Tom Cotton (R-AR), and Ben Sasse (R-NE), as well as, eight Democrat colleagues and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT).
Update: President Trump signed the Omnibus bill on Friday afternoon.