New Republican-Controlled Congress Offers Cure for Last Year’s Sick Spending Bill
The old Democrat-controlled Congress spent an insane amount of money on some insanely silly things. The new Republican-controlled Congress has a moral obligation to try and claw some of it back.
H.R. 2617, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, was hastily passed and signed into law at the end of last year, adding another $1.7 trillion to the trillions Congress had already spent in the preceding two years. It’s as ludicrously wasteful as one might imagine, with billions upon billions of dollars being allocated to radical left-wing pet projects and other wholly unnecessary expenses.
That this bill arrived at a time when so many hard-working Americans are facing unprecedented economic hardship and financial uncertainty is not only a slap in the face to the American people, but also reveals the moral bankruptcy of our elected representatives — not to mention their complete and utter disdain for the people they are supposed to represent. They’ve managed to make Marie Antoinette look like she was in touch with the people.
The omnibus bill is littered with evidence that too many politicians have zero interest in serious governance and would rather spend inordinate amounts of taxpayer money on stuff left-wing partisans like. Indeed, H.R. 2617 is a left-wing activist’s wish list.
Take, for example, the $200 million in funding for the State Department’s Gender Equity and Equality Action Fund. Then there’s the $3.6 million for upkeep of the “Michelle Obama Trail'' in Georgia and $3 million for the American LGBTQ+ Museum in New York City. There’s also $1 million allocated for a place called Zora’s House in Ohio, described as a “coworking and community space” for “women and gender-expansive people of color,” whatever that means, as well as $1.2 million to fund “LGBTQIA+ Pride Centers,” another $1.2 million for illegal aliens at San Diego Community College, and nearly half a million dollars for something called the Equity Institute in Rhode Island to pay for “anti-racism virtual labs” for teachers.
But perhaps the most obvious and egregious insult to the American people crammed into H.R. 2617 was not an extremist left-wing earmark, but the roughly $45 billion more in aid to Ukraine, supported by Democrats and establishment Republicans alike.
Many Americans today can barely afford food and gas, yet our elected so-called leaders would rather send a further $45 billion to Ukraine — on top of the over $50 billion already sent — to sustain a proxy war thousands of miles away in Eastern Europe than give aid and relief to struggling Americans.
Thankfully, Republicans are now in control of Congress, and because of the concessions made by Speaker Kevin McCarthy to determined conservatives in the House Freedom Caucus, another horrendous omnibus bill like H.R. 2617 won’t be passed again anytime soon. If conservatives hold McCarthy to his word, Congress will finally vote on common-sense ideas that politicians from both parties have been promising for decades, such as term limits.
Nevertheless, the current Republican House majority must do everything in its power to prevent any unspent provisions of last year’s omnibus bill from leaving the Treasury whenever and however possible. Beyond that, Republicans have an opportunity — and duty — to show the American people what real good governance looks like, and what can be achieved when politicians prioritize the public good over partisan politics.
Instead of spending money on left-wing pet projects, Republicans in Congress should prioritize legislative ways to relieve Americans of rising costs of food and fuel. Instead of giving millions to illegal aliens, Republicans in Congress should spend money on securing our borders and choking the flow of illegal drugs onto our streets. Instead of finding ways to brainwash educators, Republicans in Congress should find ways to educate out-work-Americans back into the labor force and promote entrepreneurship.
If the new Republican majority can secure these things, the Republican Party may very well secure victory in the next election. If they fail to achieve them, then we can surely expect more terrible Democrat omnibus bills in the future.
Julio Gonzalez is the CEO and Founder of Engineered Tax Services, Inc.
