$1.5 Trillion, 2,300 Page Bill Set For Vote In Less Than 24 Hours
Join us and tell your reps how you feel!
What’s the story?
Buried under a blanket of spring snow, and staring down a two-week congressional break, Congress is rushing to get a spending bill passed this week before lawmakers sprint for the exits. Which means that Members of Congress were given 24 hours to review and prepare to vote on a 2,232-page bill authorizing $1.5 trillion in spending. And, for once, both Democrats and Republicans aren’t having it.
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) had this to say on Fox News:
.@Jim_Jordan on omnibus bill: "How are you really gonna know what's in it if you got 24 hours from the time you get the completed version until you're supposed to vote on it? That's not the way to do things." @TeamCavuto pic.twitter.com/yituzl4FJ2
— Fox News (@FoxNews) March 22, 2018
Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) concurred in an interview with CNN:
Sen. Mazie Hirono says she's still reviewing the $1.3 trillion spending bill: "Coming up with a 2,000-page bill that we're expected to vote on in the Senate ... is a nutty way to proceed" https://t.co/uGLFHycZM7 https://t.co/5cYZcwOp0v
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) March 22, 2018
Democrats are not expected en masse to vote against the bill, however, but the House Freedom Caucus is. Freedom Caucus head Rep. Mark Meadows had this to say:
- Record spending levels
— Mark Meadows (@RepMarkMeadows) March 22, 2018
- No wall/border security
- Obamacare intact
- Funds Planned Parenthood
- Sanctuary Cities funded
- Barely 24 hours to read a 2,300 page bill
This Omnibus is so far from what the forgotten men and women of America voted for. I will oppose it.
Democrats raised similar concerns when tax overhaul legislation was passed in December of 2017. Here’s Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) talking about the single hour she has to review the 500-page bill before she has to vote.
It’s not just a problem with this Congress, either. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) took issue with the way that lengthy bills were voted on too quickly for Members of Congress to actually read them in 2012. He introduced legislation that would mandate a day for every 20 pages of a bill that legislators have to review, which would mean they would have needed 112 days to review the omnibus bill they will undoubtedly pass this week.
Paul’s legislation failed.
What do you think?
Should Congress be allowed to vote on legislation that there is no possible way they have actually read in its entirety? Should there be legislation to mandate a slow down in the process to give Members of Congress time to thoroughly review any and all legislation they vote on? Are you willing to see your political priorities move more slowly through Congress in order to for the whole process to slow down?
Tell us in the comments what you think, then use the Take Action button to tell your reps!
— Asha Sanaker
(Photo Credit: Wikimedia / Creative Commons)
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