Government Funding Bill Implodes in House
December 19, 2024 | Washington, D.C.
by Tabitha Walter, Executive Director, Eagle Forum
The volatile 118th Congress is supposed to come to a close this week. The Congress that started with Kevin McCarthy barely getting the Speaker’s gavel, and then losing it over a spending bill, is ending with Speaker Mike Johnson struggling to get a spending bill over the finish line while facing a revolt from all sides. Conservatives want a lean continuing resolution (CR) without pork while Democrats, sensing this is their last shot to get policy riders, are insisting on new programs and dollars.
Elon Musk weighed in against the bill, stating that any Rep. who voted for it deserved to be primaried. President-elect Trump capped off the day by insisting on terminating or extending the debt ceiling to gain his support. Trump, who will have to start his presidency under the constraints of this bill, is not the President who must sign it into law. Although many Americans may have forgotten, Joe Biden is still the President until January 20, 2025.
A short-term deal was passed in September and expires on Friday, December 20th. Eagle Forum and other Conservatives had argued that the continuing resolution (CR) should have lasted until March, to not expire in the lame duck, as is happening now. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) vowed not to move forward with a “Christmas omnibus” that would be packed full of new spending, but this end-of-year bill must be negotiated with a Democratic-controlled Senate and White House who are determined to get all they can. Negotiations dragged on until late Tuesday and the result was an extension of funding until March AND additional money for disaster relief, farmers, and numerous pet projects. In addition, several policy provisions were snuck into the bill, making it unsupportable by Conservatives.
With Democrats failing to retake the White House, Senate, and House in the election, they demanded many pet projects in exchange for keeping the government open. They included provisions to protect the January 6 Commission from having their work re-examined by the new Congress, extend a censorship agency at the State Department, and provide a Congressional pay raise. The bill would have provided complete coverage for the rebuilding of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland that collapsed earlier this year, even though some, if not all, of that funding will be offset by insurance and lawsuit payouts from the company that damaged the bridge.
Other Democrat provisions in the bill include funding for museums in Washington, D.C. for women and Hispanics, nearly $70 billion for Ukraine, a continuance of telehealth services, an expansion of Medicare payouts, and a transfer of the defunct Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium from the federal government to the District of Columbia. The positive elements for Conservatives were few and far between. Republicans were able to slide in provisions that reign in U.S. dollars from benefitting the Chinese military and technology firms overseas.
Other provisions made up the bulk of the price tag. The Farm Bill that regulates the agricultural industry was reauthorized for another year including $10 billion in economic assistance. Family farms are hurting due to drought and other weather conditions, and without immediate loan assistance, could very well go under. The risk of having family farms sold to Big Ag, and losing our ability as a nation to feed ourselves, is too dangerous to ignore. Congress should have finished the Farm Bill before the end of the year, and we must insist they do their job in the coming year to avoid another emergency.
The CR also includes another $100 billion for disaster relief due to hurricanes Milton and Helene, due in part to the mismanagement of the agency by Biden officials. The Trump Administration should make reform of FEMA a priority as we have seen in the last months both FEMA monies go to illegal immigrants and FEMA officials discriminating against homes with Trump flags.
House Freedom Caucus Members were quick to name the bill the “Cramnibus” due to the rushed deadline and the amount of new spending packed into what was supposed to be a “clean” CR.
Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) responded to the CR by saying:
It’s the same dang thing every year. Legislate by crisis, legislate by calendar. Not legislate because it’s the right thing to do.
Similarly, Rep. Eric Burlison (R-MO) called it a “total dumpster fire.”
Elon Musk posted on X, “Kill the Bill” and the Capitol Switchboard was quickly overrun with phone calls in opposition. By late afternoon, it was clear the bloated bill was going nowhere.
The path forward is unclear at present. Without a short-term spending bill, the government will shut down. Passing a clean CR with only Republican votes seems impossible as there are several Republicans who will never vote for a Continuing Resolution on principle. A clean CR will not provide additional funding for Hurricane Milton and Helene victims or emergency loan authority for family farmers on the brink of losing their farms. Elon Musk posted “No bills should be passed Congress until Jan 20, when @realDonaldTrump takes office. None. Zero.”
Shutting down the government right before Christmas is a political strategy that will excite the base. The important unanswered question is how to open it back up again in time for the swearing-in of the new Congress on January 3rd, the election certification on January 6, and inaugural preparations that must be made before January 20th.
There is no doubt the appropriations process has been broken for many years and that this bloated CR deserved to die. The federal debt has now surpassed $35 trillion with a government workforce of 3 million people to keep all government programs (and wasteful spending) going. Passing rushed CRs to keep the government open without a transparent debate and careful consideration is irresponsible and harms the necessary trust we should have in our elected officials. President Donald Trump has already announced his ideas to cut wasteful spending such as the creation of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), to be led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. They will recommend ways to trim the fat of the federal government. Congress can act on these recommendations by passing individual appropriations bills that cut out unnecessary and harmful federal programs. Change cannot come soon enough.
We will continue to update you on the details of the current spending situation on our X account @EagleForum. Please pray for our elected leaders and our nation.
As we prepare our hearts and homes for Christmas, may we remember that our hope and our salvation is in Jesus Christ alone. May God bless you, and our nation, today and always.