What’s Hidden In Spending Bill Congress Must Pass To Keep The Government Open?
By Fred Lucas , The Daily Signal | December 18, 2024
President-elect Donald Trump urged congressional Republicans on Wednesday to renegotiate a spending bill designed to avert a partial government shutdown. Entering the final month of Joe Biden’s presidency, leaders of Trump’s government efficiency panel also strongly oppose the so-called continuing resolution as drafted.
The 1,547-page spending bill would increase congressional salaries from $174,000 to $243,000, continue funding a State Department agency criticized for promoting censorship, and allow lawmakers to opt out of Obamacare as government employees.
Also ripping the plan were businessmen Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who head up the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, a presidential advisory board that will help the incoming administration weed out government waste.
Trump will return to the White House after being sworn in Jan. 20.
“This bill hands out billions to farmers that are not paid for with offsets from wasteful spending elsewhere in the government, a long-debated and unpopular congressional pay increase, full authorization of funding for the Francis Scott Key Bridge, and a provision that zeros out Biden’s PAYGO scorecard—eliminating accountability and the required spending reduction to pay down Democrat-led deficits,” Heritage Action Executive Vice President Ryan Walker said in a written statement.
“The measure also includes emergency supplemental spending that goes beyond the president’s request without assurances that the resources will be directed toward the needs of actual American citizens,” Walker said.
The continuing resolution would fully fund the government through mid-March.
Earlier in the day, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., had touted the spending bill for its disaster relief provisions.
Meanwhile, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York was quick to blame Trump for any delay.
1. Congressional Pay Hike
Lawmakers had agreed to include language characterized as a cost-of-living adjustment for their base salary of $174,000 per year.
Musk was not sympathetic, posting on X, the social media platform that he owns: “How can this be called a ‘continuing resolution’ if it includes a 40% pay increase for Congress?”
This change, if it goes through, would mark the first pay increase for Congress since 2009.
2. Opt Out of Obamacare
The spending bill also would allow members of Congress to opt out of the Obamacare health insurance marketplace. It doesn’t give the same option to congressional staff, however.
Members of Congress, under the proposal, instead could choose the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program.
Whether U.S. lawmakers would have to be part of Obamacare was part of the fight in passing the health care bill in 2009 and 2010.
3. Global Engagement Center
The spending bill would continue to fund the Global Engagement Center, a State Department agency that has been criticized for targeting conservative media outlets.
The proposal reportedly doesn’t specify how much the specific program would get, but it received $72.26 million in fiscal year 2020, Fox News reported.
4. Disaster Relief
The spending bill includes almost $100 billion for disaster relief, with $29 billion going to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Disaster Relief Fund, CNN reported. The agency dealt with multiple floods and wildfires this year.
The Small Business Administration’s disaster loan program would get $2.2 billion. Another $21 billion in disaster relief would go to farmers.
The bill also includes $12 billion for disaster programs in the Department of Housing and Urban Development and $10 billion in economic assistance for farmers.
5. Commanders Back in Washington?
The spending bill would give the District of Columbia government more control of land around the closed Robert F. Kennedy Stadium.
That change could allow the Washington Commanders pro football team, long called the Washington Redskins, to return to play in the city.
The Commanders have been based in Landover, Maryland, since the late 1990s.
Fred Lucas is chief news correspondent and manager of the Investigative Reporting Project for The Daily Signal. He is the author of “The Myth of Voter Suppression: The Left’s Assault on Clean Elections.”
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