The recently-revealed (and controversial) “omnibus” bill, which features a $1.7 trillion price tag, has many critics blasting it for its hundreds of billions of dollars in unnecessary spending.
Revealed by the Senate on Tuesday, the 4,000-page bill features $858 billion to continue to fund our nation’s defense capabilities. According to the summary, the bill also includes an additional $772.5 billion in “discretionary programs” that are not tied to the military at all.
Of the $1.7 trillion, a mere $1.5 million was attributed to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. That money, according to the bill, can only be used “to acquire, maintain, or extend border security technology and capabilities, except for technology and capabilities to improve Border Patrol processing.”
Representative Dan Bishop of North Carolina took to Twitter to outline what he views as the worst parts of the bill.
My team and I are reading through the omnibus bill today – all $1.7 trillion and 4,155 pages of it.
Follow along for some of the most egregious provisions in the bill ⬇️
— Rep. Dan Bishop (@RepDanBishop) December 20, 2022
Bishop went on to highlight how the $1.5 million going to the border is insignificant when compared to the $410 million allocated for border security in Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Tunisia, and Oman.”
Bishop went further to point out how the federal government is giving $65 million to salmon recovery along the Pacific coast.
The word “salmon” appears 48 times in the bill. pic.twitter.com/kMg9oThIUf
— Rep. Dan Bishop (@RepDanBishop) December 20, 2022
The bill also directs hundreds of millions of dollars toward LGBTQ and anti-racisim initiatives.
?? WOKE PRIORITIES IN THE OMNIBUS
Here are just a few earmarks (a.k.a. your taxpayer dollars set aside for special interests or projects) we found in the 1,455 page spending bill that are funding the left’s extreme agenda using YOUR money ?
— Heritage Foundation (@Heritage) December 20, 2022
Other notable Republicans voiced their disapproval of the bill noting other pet projects. Representative Andy Biggs of Arizona said, “The Democrats’ reckless omnibus bill spends YOUR money on a ‘Michelle Obama Trail,’ a ‘Ukraine Independence Park’ in DC, and a ‘Speaker Pelosi Federal Building’ in San Francisco.” He went on to ask, “Are you ok with all of this.”
The Democrats’ reckless omnibus bill spends YOUR money on a “Michelle Obama Trail,” a “Ukraine Independence Park” in DC, and a “Speaker Pelosi Federal Building” in San Francisco.
Are you ok with all of this?
— Rep Andy Biggs (@RepAndyBiggsAZ) December 20, 2022
Turning Point founder Charlie Kirk said, “In return for giving away nine months of GOP leverage with the Omnibus, Richard Shelby gets an FBI building named after him. Nobody is a cheaper date than a Senate Republican.”
In return for giving away nine months of GOP leverage with the disastrous Omnibus, Richard Shelby gets an FBI building named after him. Nobody is a cheaper date than a Senate Republican.
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) December 20, 2022
There is also the funding that is being directed to the ongoing investigation into the Jan. 6 events. As reported by CNN, the bill would direct $2.63 billion for attorneys “to further support prosecutions related to the January 6 attack on the Capitol and domestic terrorism cases.”
