Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) was one of the few principled individuals in Congress with the spine to stand against a massive $667 million spending increase that passed overwhelmingly in the U.S. House on Thursday.
The legislation, which was approved by a 301-123 vote, extends the government funding until Nov. 21. When that deadline hits, Congress will likely give Americans another huge addition of federal debt to chew on during Thanksgiving dinner.
Massie spoke out against this abomination in a social media post shortly after logging his “no” vote:
JUST VOTED:
…on the package to increase spending by ~$667 million for FY2020. No amendments allowed and members were given less than 24 hours to read the bill before voting on it.
I voted no.
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) September 19, 2019
The passage of the legislation ensures that there will not be a government shutdown, a stark contrast from last year when an impasse over border wall funding resulted in the longest shutdown in U.S. history.
The Senate is anticipated to pass the legislation next week, and put it on President Donald Trump’s desk for his signature well before the upcoming Sept. 30 deadline to continue government funding. The last shutdown has apparently scared Trump into accepting business as usual from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).
The Washington Post makes the argument that the parties are diametrically opposed and uncertainty remains on whether the government will be funded again the next time around:
“Trump’s presidency has been marked by a number of stopgap spending bills that either keep levels flat or ratchet them higher. The White House has called for deep spending cuts on education, housing and foreign aid programs, among others. But Trump has also insisted on a bigger budget for defense and money to build a wall along the Mexico border. Democrats have fought back, leading to numerous compromises that have continued to add billions of dollars in new spending each year.
Major differences between the parties remain, though, particularly over whether taxpayers should finance construction of a border wall and whether Congress should agree to a demand from Democrats to direct more money for health programs, among other things…
At the core of the dispute: Senate Democrats’ assertions that Republicans are diverting money to Trump’s southern border wall that should be going toward domestic programs. Republicans deny the claims, but Democrats are blocking action on spending bills for the Pentagon and other agencies as they press their complaints.
And some lawmakers, particularly Democrats, are already predicting that they are going to end up right where they were last winter.”
This talk is likely the fake news covering for the federal swamp, because as Massie is happy to explain, the Republicans and Democrats always come together to place more crippling debt on the backs of the U.S. taxpayer.
Name one line item in the federal budget that a congressman could vote against without being called cruel, short sighted, or un-American by a significant portion of the electorate and the main stream media.
This is why we are $22 trillion in debt with no end of it in sight.
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) July 17, 2019
