Trump, the Omnibus, and the Art of the Real

https://spectator.org/trump-the-omnibus-and-the-art-of-the-real/ ^ | March 26, 2018 | David Catron

[V K Lee]

No, Trump hasn’t betrayed his supporters.

Conservatives from sea to shining sea are screaming “betrayal” because the GOP passed and the President signed the massive omnibus spending bill. The poster child for this hysterical overreaction is Ann Coulter, who furiously tweeted that it would get Trump impeached and cause the Republicans to get wiped out in the upcoming midterms. Coulter hasn’t sounded this crazy since 2012, when she endorsed Mitt Romney for President. It is, of course, true that the bill is deeply flawed. To understand why it passed and why Trump signed it, conservatives should refer to this excerpt from The Art of the Deal:

My style of deal-making is quite simple and straightforward. I aim very high, and then keep pushing and pushing.… I never get too attached to one deal or one approach.

It’s no coincidence that White House budget director Mick Mulvaney sounded equally pragmatic when asked during a press conference if President Trump was willing to sign such an imperfect bill:

The answer is yes. Why? Because it funds his priorities.… Is it perfect? No. Is it exactly what we asked for in the budget? No. Were we ever going to get that? No.

This, like it or not, is how deals get made inside (and outside) the Beltway. No one gets everything they want. [SNIP]

As to this particular omnibus bill, it isn’t nearly as bad as people like Coulter suggest.[SNIP]

[V K Lee]

Exactly. Point made! This is one man on our team we cannot afford to lose. He is very much a MVP. What follows in the months to come will be interesting, educational, and written about as long as there be ink.
(prayers are not unwelcome)

[V K Lee]

Dawg, sit. Quiet.
Be still and wait before barking like a hound.
You might even offer a prayer for the man and nation.
Patience is a virtue.

[Bigg Red]

Ping

[fortheDeclaration]

I don’t think many on the Democrat side feel a massive Defense spending increase is a win for them.

[V K Lee]

No watchee here. Thought the talk was Stormy and that story (nope, it wasn’t the weather) Never give up on POTUS-VSG he has a very large hat and it’s chock full of surprises (I’m thinking)

[BDParrish]

So in other words the President is supposed to sign off on any piece of crap budget bill, no matter how high the resulting deficit, no matter how much pork is in it, just because it has defense money in it?

Yes, if we are on the verge of a shooting war. I don't really know what is going on. You don't either brother, and they aren't gonna tell us. I don't mean to sound like I support the President. But if we could get a conservative majority in the House of Representatives, well, that would be something new!

No, if we are on the verge of a currency collapse caused by pork spending and government debt. I don't really know what is going on, who does? I don't mean to sound like I don't support the President. But if we could get a conservative majority in the House instead of a "Republican" majority, well wouldn't that be something?

[NobleFree]

Patience is a virtue.

How much patience is rational ... after how long a wait would it be sensible to conclude that signing the bill is not giving us a wall?

[V K Lee]

It is hoped the Lord would endow you with more than you have at the moment.

My word! Give our President the opportunity. Don’t go mad dog on him. He’s had the dog catchers on his case since entering office and still has accomplished a good many things. How about giving him another what? 6 months, 12 months. What he has given in the first 12 should more than make up for the time you believe he has mishandled.

We want a wall. We’ll get a wall. POTUS -VSG will not stop working for this country (or you)

[Hostage]

That's because of this:

Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:)

In accordance with section 7058(d) of division K of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 (H.R. 1625; the “Act”), I hereby designate as an emergency requirement all funding so designated by the Congress in the Act pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, for the accounts referenced in section 7058(d).

The details of this action are set forth in the enclosed memorandum from the Director of the Office of Management and Budget.

Sincerely,

DONALD J. TRUMP

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/text-letter-president-speaker-house-representatives-president-senate-21

Sec. 251(b)(2)(A) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act reads:

(A) EMERGENCY APPROPRIATIONS; OVERSEAS CONTINGENCY OPERATIONS/GLOBAL WAR ON TERRORISM.-—If, for any fiscal year, appropriations for discretionary accounts are enacted that -—
(i) the Congress designates as emergency requirements in statute on an account by account basis and the President subsequently so designates, or
(ii) the Congress designates for Overseas Contingency Operations/Global War on Terrorism in statute on an account by account basis and the President subsequently so designates, the adjustment shall be the total of such appropriations in discretionary accounts designated as emergency requirements or for Overseas Contingency Operations/Global War on Terrorism, as applicable

______________________________________________________

Note 1: The DHS budget was increased to a total of more than $44 billion. The above emergency designation by the President allows for repurposing funds to the Global War On Terrorism which includes our southern border. The President has already called out the identification of ISIS agents operating on our southern border, ergo DHS and related agency funds can be applied for National Defense along our southern border.

Note 2: The Omnibus Bill is for six months, the President can stall the Dem spending for that long, to the renewal date in September, right before mid-terms. Military funding is not up for renewal, that stays.

______________________________________________________

Long and short: the President holds winning cards, all legal, that he can play to move forward with promises made in his campaign to build a wall and curb illegal immigration and illicit trafficking. He will move forward with wall construction and dump any consequences on Congress members up for reelection in the midterms. This fight has only just begun.

[Cannoneer]

"No one ever gets exactly what they want"

I know that the budget deal funds a lot of unnecessary things, but what forces; in this day and age of executive denial of the Constitution, the president from ordering the directors of the agencies to NOT spend all of the money appropriated to them. Like the State department not funding the foreign countries that continually work against the US.

Or for that matter funding any pork project attached to this bill.

I worked for a company under contract to NASA that routinely was asked to spend money that the agency had failed to have earmarked for funding at the end of every fiscal year. If they had not committed these funds, theoretically, it would have gone back to the Treasury and never spent.

There is certainly a lack of exigency in most of the pork in the Federal budget. I'm just saying.

[2ndDivisionVet]

Notice something about the major naysayers on this thread?

[Jane Long]

You’ve rounded up the usual suspects, FRiend!! ;-)

[V K Lee]

GESH!
Those outside the corral belong inside. Our President NEVER arrived in office claiming to be Santa Claus. He has no bag, let alone flying reindeer.

He did make promises and needs time enough to keep them. We can’t dispose of him like a limp piece of toast. One should never judge post haste but only after waiting and watching for a time. Those being the first to cry - perhaps they’ve always been criers. Unable to believe in themselves, unable to believe (period) LORD knows, they’ve been programmed that way for the past ? years.

[V K Lee]

They’re always ready, aren’t they?
Tantrums from a younger crowd. Now Now We want it NOW. Reminds of a teething infant. Fussy and loud, due to their intense pain...real or imagined.

[sparklite2]

Merely having a majority in congress doesn’t guarantee getting all of your agenda through

---

Why not? The Democrat majority passed Obamacare without a single Republican vote. They used their majority to get their agenda through.

[RedStateRocker]

Obamacare was a massive compromise in itself, far far from what ‘the base’ wanted. No way would a genuine single-payer universal healthcare bill have gotten passed.

[sparklite2]

When Clinton was in office, Hillary convened a closed-door discussion of how to implement single pay. She went so far as dictating to medical schools the number of specialties that could be taught, bringing them in line with what the system required. It was the USSR all over again.

[Baynative]

Do you know if the “attached memorandum” mentioned in the letter in your post can be found?

[little jeremiah]

Difference between Dems and Rs is that Dems don’t turn on each other, and they all support the same (evil) agenda. Rs otoh are some good, some downright evil and some just selfishly on the take.

And the few who are good AND have spines can’t control the others.

[little jeremiah]

Where can I find the vote totals? I have a hard time know where to look and searches rarely show me what I want.