CONSERVATIVES AGREE WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP: “NEVER AGAIN” SHOULD CONGRESS PASS AN OMNIBUS BOONDOGGLE, AND “NEVER AGAIN” SHOULD HE SIGN ONE.

 

April 9, 2018
Washington, DC

Congress recently passed, and the President signed, a $1.3 trillion omnibus spending bill that gives Democrats everything they want while violating key conservative principles on both policy and process.

By relinquishing control of the process to Democrats, the Republican leadership allowed many provisions in the bill to stand out as clear violations of the promises that Republicans made to voters. They include the following:

  • $500 million for Planned Parenthood.
  • Full funding for sanctuary cities.
  • $20 billion for Amtrak, including money for Sen. Schumer’s New York-New Jersey Gateway Tunnel.
  • Language prohibiting construction of the wall along the Mexican border, and only $1.6 billion for repairs to the existing.
  • A gun control provision that could be used to “disarm law-abiding Americans.”
  • Maintains the “status quo” on Obamacare.
  • The text of 24 unrelated bills that were added without debate or amendments.
  • Spending increases that are twice as high as any request made by President Obama, at a time when President Trump’s nominees to run various programs are being slow-walked through the Senate.

The 2,232-page bill was made public less than 24 hours before House members were asked to vote, in direct violation of the House’s 72-hour rule. The rule reflects a promise that Republicans made in their Pledge to America to allow at least three legislative days for Members of Congress and the public to read bills before a vote. “No more hiding legislative language,” they wrote. “Legislation should be understood by all interested parties before it is voted on.” Moreover, the House Rules Committee blocked attempts by any Members to offer amendments.

In the Senate, there was very little debate, and no amendments. Though seven budgetary points of order laid against the legislation, none of these points of order were challenged or debated. A 2,232-page, $1.3 trillion bill passed the Congress 48-hours after it was introduced with minimal debate and without Members being allowed to offer any changes.

President Trump rightly called the bill “ridiculous,” and called out Members of both chambers for the hasty, haphazard way the bill was passed. He also pledged that he would “never sign another bill like this again.”

We support the President in this regard and will insist that this promise is kept. We call upon the Congress to fulfill its constitutional role with more transparency, deliberation, and thoughtfulness. Appropriations bills should be given ample time for consideration, debate and amendments. Omnibus spending bills should be the rare exception, instead of norm.

Specifically, once an individual appropriations bill is passed by the House, the Senate should schedule time for its consideration and allow time for consideration, debate and amendments. The Senate, in particular, should prioritize the debate, amendment and passage of individual appropriations bills over wasting time in endless quorum calls.

Future funding bills should restore the spending caps signed by President Obama in 2011 to force fiscal discipline onto the government. They should fully fund the border wall, defund sanctuary cities and, at a minimum, defund Planned Parenthood and apply Hyde and conscience protections across the government, as Republicans have been promising to do for decades. Finally, the bill should not include extraneous bills that grow government, and bills that do should be subject to executive-led recession in the areas where money cannot be responsibly spent.

Republicans have long promised that, if they were given congressional majorities, they would use that mandate to affect positive change across the government. Sadly, we are seeing even worse spending, process, and policy outcomes than we saw with a Democratic president. This is untenable. We urge the Republican majority to prioritize their promises over expediency, and we call on President Trump to reject future efforts that do not meet his expectations, or the expectations of the voters who elected him.

 


 

The Honorable Edwin Meese III

Former Attorney General
President Ronald Reagan

Alfred S. Regnery

Chairman, Conservative Action Project
Chairman, Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund

Thomas E. McClusky

President

March for Life Action

The Honorable Bob McEwen

U.S. House of Representatives

Former Member, Ohio

Wesley Denton

Former Communications Director

Senator Jim DeMint (SC)

The Honorable Colin A. Hanna

President

Let Freedom Ring, Inc.

Rod D. Martin

Founder and CEO

The Martin Organization, Inc.

Sherri R. Martin

Executive Vice President

The Martin Organization, Inc.

Haley E. Martin

President

The Martin Foundation

Shawn A. Mitchell

Former National Chaplain

National Federation of Republican Assemblies (NFRA)

Jerry Melvin

Former Dean

Florida House of Representatives

Evelio Silvera

Campaign for the American Future

Jenny Beth Martin

Chairman

Tea Party Patriots Citizen Fund

The Honorable Jim DeMint

U.S. Senate

Former Member, South Carolina

Ed Corrigan

Vice Chairman, Conservative Action Project

Former Executive Director, Senate Steering Committee

Rachel Bovard

Former Policy Director

Senate Steering Committee

The Honorable Becky Norton Dunlop

Former White House Advisor

President Ronald Reagan

William L. Walton

Chairman

CNP Action, Inc.

Lt. Gen. William G. Boykin (Ret.)

Executive Vice President

Family Research Council

Diana Banister

President and Partner

Shirley & Banister Public Affairs

The Honorable T. Kenneth Cribb, Jr.

Former Chief Domestic Advisor

President Ronald Reagan

Adam Brandon

President

FreedomWorks

The Honorable Tony Perkins

President, Family Research Council

President, Council for National Policy

Cleta Mitchell, Esq.

The Honorable David McIntosh

U.S. House of Representatives

Former Member, Indiana

The Honorable J. Kenneth Blackwell

Chairman

Constitutional Congress, Inc.

Michael A. Needham

Chief Executive Officer

Heritage Action for America

The Honorable Donald J. Devine

Former Director, U.S. Office of Personnel Management

President Ronald Reagan

James C. Dobson Ph.D.

Founder & President

Family Talk

Bob Adams

President

Revive America PAC

Rebecca Hagelin

Secretary

Council for National Policy

Richard H. Wright

CEO

Andrews Consulting

Jack Park

None

Conservative Activist and Donor

Preston Hawkins

President

Herbert Hawkins Company

Jason S. Jones

President

Movie to Movement

David Williams

President

Taxpayers Protection Alliance

C. Preston Noell III

President

Tradition, Family, Property, Inc.

Samuel Casey

Managing Director & General Counsel

Jubilee Campaign

Kevin Freeman

Founder

NSIC Institute

Bob Carlstrom

President

The Carlstrom Group, LLC

Tim Wildmon

President

American Family Association

The Honorable Mike Spence

Founding President

Conservative Republicans of California

Martha Boneta

President

VCS

Charles Copeland

President

Intercollegiate Studies Institute

Christopher Malagisi

Editor in Chief

Conservative Book Club

Jim Backlin

Vice President of Legislative Affairs

Christian Coalition of America

Elaine Donnelly

President

Center for Military Readiness

Allen Hebert

Chairman

American-Chinese Fellowship of Houston

James L. Martin

Founder/Chairman

60 Plus Association

Saulius “Saul” Anuzis

President

60 Plus Association

Ted Baehr

Chairman and CEO

Christian Film and Television Commission™ / Movieguide®

Donna Hearne

CEO

Constitutional Coalition

Linwood Bragan

Executive Director

CapStand Council for Policy & Ethics

Tim LeFever

Chairman

Capitol Resource Institute

Norman Singleton

President

Ron Paul’s Campaign for Liberty

Jeremy Cerone

CEO

EliteSafe Inc.

Diane Stover

President

Ohio Values Voters, Inc.

Ron Robinson

President

Young America’s Foundation

Seton Motley

President

Less Government

Paul J. Gessing

President

Rio Grande Foundation

William Pascoe

Managing Partner

Antietam Communications

Robert K. Fischer

Meeting Coordinator

Conservatives of Faith

The Honorable Mike Hill

Former Member

Florida State Representative

Willes K. Lee

President

National Federation of Republican Assemblies

Col. Francis X. De Luca USMCR(Ret)

President Emeritus

Civitas Institute

The Honorable James C. Miller III

Budget Director for President Reagan

Peter J. Thomas

Chairman

The Conservative Cacus

Sal Russo

Co-Founder and Chief Strategist

Tea Party Express

Dr. Jerome R. Corsi, Ph.D.

Washington Bureau Chief

Infowars.com

Caroline Lewis

Owner

Percipio Communications

The Honorable Belden Bell

Legacy Co-Chair

The Heritage Foundation

Steve Berger

Pastor

Grace Chapel

Kay R. Daly

President

Coalition for a Fair Judiciary

Chad Connelly

President

Faith Wins

Anne Schlafly Cori

Chairman

Eagle Forum

Dr. Richard Rounsavelle

Trustee

Media Research Center

The Honorable Gary L. Bauer

President

American Values

Ralph A. Rebandt, II

Lead Pastor/Police Chaplain

Oakland Hills Community Church/Michigan Police Chiefs

The Honorable Michael R. Long

State Chairman

NYS Conservative Party

E.C. Sykes

Managing Director

Aslan Capital Fund

Lewis K. Uhler

President

National Tax Limitation Committee

 


 

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