OPINION:
You have to give the Democrats credit. You can count on them to do the politically smart thing even in defeat. This is why they’ve made a deal with Senate Republicans to pass a $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill to keep the government funded for the next fiscal year now rather than wait for the Republicans to take over the House of Representatives in January.
What’s not clear is why Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and his GOP Senate colleagues are going along. Depending on whose version of the story you’re hearing — one says congressional Republicans were cut out of the negotiations. The other says they declined to participate — the chance for a better deal is just a fortnight away.
America may not be broke just yet, but things aren’t looking bright. Fortunately, the rest of the world’s economy seems to be in worse shape. That buys us some time to reverse the trends threatening to bankrupt the nation.
The first of those, of course, is out-of-control federal spending. It’s been a problem before, but as long as the debt and the annual deficit remained a fraction of the overall gross domestic product, it didn’t threaten to bring the system crashing down. Now, as total debt is equal to or exceeds the total value of all domestic production, it’s time for everyone to understand that the party’s over.
The Democrats who run Congress seem intent on spending us into oblivion. Why are Mr. McConnell and most of the other Senate Republicans going along when they should join Rep. Kevin McCarthy — the man most people expect to be the speaker of the House come January — in saying not just “No” but “Hell, no!” to a very bad deal?
Are the “lovely parting gifts,” as they say on the game shows, being given to retiring Republican senators as part of the omnibus worth the economic future of the country and the financial security of our children and grandchildren? We can’t think there’s anyone outside of Washington who thinks that’s the case.
If prices were stable, if the economy were growing and the nation were energy secure, and, most importantly, there were no alternative, it might be possible to justify a $1.7 trillion lame-duck omnibus to fund the federal government through the end of the next fiscal year. But no one should be happy about it, especially when, by waiting just a few weeks, Mr. McConnell and his colleagues could use a pared-back spending bill coming out of the new GOP-controlled House to force Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and the other Democrats to make a better deal.
Even by doing almost nothing, Mr. McConnell and his colleagues could force a $130 billion reduction in spending under PAYGO if enough of them agreed to vote against any legislation that waived the requirement that cuts be made. His Kentucky colleague Rand Paul tried that once but didn’t get much support. If Senate Republicans stood firm now, they could be heroes instead of goats by throwing in with Mr. Schumer and the spending crowd.
Spending restraint is important, and not just for economic reasons. The less money the government has to spend, the smaller it has to be. The smaller it is, the less ability it has to infringe on the rights we are guaranteed under the law. Tight fingers clutching the strings on the federal purse is one of those annoying checks and balances built into the system to prevent things like programs that redistributed the nation’s wealth.
We piled on a lot of debt over the last few years. Pretty soon, the hole’s going to be so deep it will take decades to get out of it. So, as they say, it would be wise for Congress to stop digging. Mr. McConnell, who has been right on so many issues before, can be the leader our country needs if he joins the side of those saying “hell, no” to the bipartisan omnibus.
While we’re waiting for him to change his mind, people need to get angry. They should call Congress and their members of Congress to reject the proposed omnibus spending bill. We’re all tightening our belts, thanks to Bidenflation. Congress needs to do the same. It’s not like there isn’t a lot to cut that wouldn’t be politically popular. Being on the right side is a win for any politician who chooses to stand there, just as it is for the people of this country who have to pay the bills.
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