Utah Sen. Mike Lee asked congressional leaders moving the $1.2 trillion spending package forward why the 1,012-page bill was released to lawmakers only 48 hours prior to expected votes.
Congressional leaders released a $1.2 trillion legislative package early Thursday that would fund a host of key government agencies in order to avoid a government shutdown slated to begin Friday.
Why it matters: The new spending package reportedly covers the following departments:
- Homeland Security.
- Defense.
- Labor.
- Health and Human Services.
- Education.
- State.
CBS News reported that if the package is approved in Friday’s vote the threat of a government shutdown would be “off the table” until Oct. 1, which is the beginning of the next fiscal year.
Driving the news: The Associated Press reported Wednesday that lawmakers were set to reveal the spending package early Thursday to which Lee responded that doesn’t give lawmakers and taxpayers much time to deliberate over the bill.
- “That’s not adequate notice,” Lee said on Thursday. “This is not what our constituents, our voters sent us to Washington to do.”
Lee reported in a post on X that the bill was dropped for review around 2:30 a.m.
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., issued a joint statement with Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, urging members of Congress to pass the spending package in order to avoid a government shutdown.
“There is zero need for a shutdown or chaos — and members of Congress should waste no time in passing these six bills, which will greatly benefit every state in America and reflect important priorities of many Senators,” Murray and Collins said, according to Time.
During a speech on the Senate floor, Lee said, “I find it stunning the suggestion that she’s (Sen. Murray) saying it’s now, that time is of the essence now. We didn’t have the bill yesterday, or the day before, or the day before, or the day before that, when we were promised the bill. We didn’t have it but we have it now.”
Lee said instead of a speedy vote on the spending package that there should be a short term continuing resolution through April 12, to give lawmakers time to review, debate and amend the bill.
What are Republicans’ views on spending package?
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., said he supports the bill as it is mostly devoted to funding the Defense Department, according to The Hill.
“Over 70% of the bill is defense, including the largest pay raise our troops have had in decades, which I think they deserve,” Scalise said.
Scalise continued saying, “Why would you want to vote against paying our troops more and confronting China? We really focus our defense much more on the threat that China poses. We get rid of a lot of the woke ideology that’s going on in DOD in this bill.”
House Republican leadership are in favor of the bill, but some lawmakers are raising concerns similar to Lee’s.
“It’s total lack of backbone, total lack of leadership, and a total failure by Republican leadership. There’s no other way to describe it,” Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, said on Steve Bannon’s “War Room” podcast Thursday. “This bill is an abomination.”
The conservative House Freedom Caucus wrote in a post on X that no GOP members should vote in favor of the spending bill.