As the anger about the new omnibus spending bill permeates our country, regardless of party affiliation, we've got a battle brewing, and boy, is it what the WWE would call a "schlober-knocker." In one corner we've got President Donald Trump who is enraged by the foreign aid, pork spending, and small payments to the American people, and in the other corner we have the congress, both parties, being led at this point by Senator Mitch McConnell (not Nancy Pelosi or Charles Schumer). This is likely because they think that having his own party fighting him will be more effective than pitting Trump against the Democrats again.
Now, for those of you who are not versed in politics, let me attempt to explain what has led us to this point. The congress passed a gigantic spending bill (NOT a budget as they're supposed to) and are attempting to use COVID relief as a way to sneak in a ton of absolutely ridiculous pet projects and foreign aid (you can read about it HERE) that they otherwise would not be able to get past the American people. It's a completely dishonorable and dishonest way of treating we the people, and anyone who voted for it should be primaried by their party and have to defend that vote because they can't.
So, President Donald Trump has done what any reasonable person would do, he's said, "No." How has he done that? By using a Presidential political tactic known as the "Pocket Veto." This means that he's essentially going to ignore it, and by doing so, he is not going to give the congress the ability to override his veto and pass it anyway. He wants it pulled back and reworked, and if he weren't a lame duck, he'd win, hands down, but right now? Well, they know they have another option and they just might decide to use it.
Vice President Joe Biden takes office on January 20th, when I'll have to start typing President before his name. A travesty that I just can bring myself to face until then. Yet, back on topic, this allows the congress a way out of having to confront the President or deal with his demands, all they have to do is wait a little less than a month and they can have Joe Biden sign it. Leave it alone, do nothing, and avoid Trump altogether. From what I'm hearing they're seriously considering doing it.
On a somewhat related note, that's why sharing this article and ones like it are so important so that the American people understand why they should be against this.
So what is Trump asking for? Well, he wants the bill reworked so that there is more money going to the American people. He knows that congress won't want to expand the already MASSIVE $1,400,000,000,000.00 ($1.4 TRILLION) dollar figure attached to this bill, so he understands that it would require them to start slashing out the pork and cutting out the foreign aid to do so.
That's what he wants, and regardless of how you feel about him, he's not wrong. If American money is being handed out, it should go to the American people, not domestic spending, and ESPECIALLY not to foreign aid.
But why in the world would they want to fight that battle with him, potentially losing all of their little perks and packages for which they will undoubtedly receive kickback donations to their "foundations" when they could just wait four weeks and not have it all drug out into the light? Just lay low, and then crow about how Joe Biden cares about the people and Donald Trump did nothing. Typical politics, typical Washington swamp.
I mean, what about us? We're struggling to make ends meet regardless of whether or not you're working. Food prices are up, service prices are up, and don't even get me started on the price of lumber and other home building supplies as it's being squeezed by low supply (due to COVID shutdowns) and high demand (also due to COVID shutdowns). The average person is trying to make it on a combination of 75% of their previous wage/salary (unemployment) with an extra $1,200.00 per month on top of that (COVID unemployment rider), or on their wage/salary which not only hasn't adjusted for inflation, but also hasn't kept pace with rising COVID prices.
Trump knows this, and he's outraged at Congress' attempt to scalp the American people for their own benefit. Yet, he'll be the bad guy, particularly if they decide to wait him out. No one better to blame than the guy who isn't standing at the Bully Pulpit anymore.
YET:
Four more weeks of no stimulus. Four more weeks of no rental / foreclosure assistance. Four more weeks of Top Ramen diets because a "Women's History Museum" and "American Latino Museum" need $1,000,000,000.00 (one BILLION dollars) to be added to the Smithsonian Museum.
Four more weeks of, "maybe we'll get better presents for the kids for their birthdays than for Christmas" because we need a "Statement Of Policy Regarding The Succession Or Reincarnation Of The Dalai Lama."
Yep, four more weeks of not being able to afford needed home repairs because we need to send $10,000,000.00 (ten MILLION dollars) to Pakistan for "gender programs."
That's four more weeks of do I pay for the gas to make my car go or the insurance I need so I don't end up getting a HUGE traffic fine that I can't afford for driving it because we need a commission tasked with "educating consumers about the dangers associated with using or storing portable fuel containers for flammable liquids near an open flame."
You just can't make this stuff up, and yet, they're counting on the fact that you'll never read the 5,593 pages of the bill, just like they're counting on you not realizing that you're paying for it all through inflation (as you can read in our article HERE) and tax hikes.
Yet who is the one person who's standing up to it who actually has a chance to stop it? It's President Trump, and now he's only got four more weeks where he is able to defend us. How sad, but elections have consequences.
Everyone needs to be calling their Senators and Representatives, regardless of party, and needs to be telling them to change this NOW, and not to wait for Vice President Biden to sign it as it is. We need to make our voices heard, BEFORE this travesty of a bill is passed.
This bill should be no more than 10 pages, and NOTHING other than COVID stimulus or response IN AMERICA should be addressed by it. All of that omnibus spending to "keep the government open," it should be somewhere else. That way we could get the necessary relief while the politicians continue fighting over the stuff that we shouldn't be paying for anyway. Help us, the American people, before helping yourselves and your "foundations."
But alas, I expect honorable behavior from American politicians. I'd be better off expecting pigs to fly. But unless we're going to load congress-people into catapults, I don't think that's happening either.
Merry Christmas US Congress style indeed.
Comments