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House Passes $1.4 Trillion Spending Bill Despite Conservatives' Criticism

posted onDecember 18, 2019
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Article snippet: The House passed a spending bill Tuesday that will fund the federal government through the rest of the fiscal year, which averted a government shutdown fight but drew criticism from conservatives. The House passed the $1.4 trillion spending bill with bipartisan support. The bill will fund $1.375 billion for establishing borders and increasing security along the southern border. The spending bill does not alter the number of detention beds for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency and does not limit President Trump’s national emergency authority to reappropriate money to build a wall on the border. The spending package will raise the required age to purchase tobacco to 21 and repeal three Obamacare taxes, such as the health insurance tax, the medical device tax, and the “Cadillac tax” on high-end insurance plans. The House Freedom Caucus opposed the spending bill, believing that the bill added too much to the national debt and failed to provide enough money to secure the border. House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Biggs (R-AZ) said that congressional leaders dropped the text of the bill at the last minute. He explained in a statement Tuesday: Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), a Freedom Caucus member, noted on the House floor Tuesday that Trump promised not to sign another last-minute bill and hopes that the president vetoes the spending bill. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) also criticized congressional appropriators for releasing the bill at the last minute, saying, ... Link to the full article to read more

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