Republicans Throw Their ‘Pledge To America’ Under the OmniBus

Red State ^ | 11/17/2011 | David Horowitz

[IbJensen]

Update: Roll call of members who stood strong is below the fold.

This afternoon, the House passed Harry Reid’s first minibus appropriations bill (Agriculture, Commerce-Justice-Science, Transportation-HUD), which contains record levels of spending for Food Stamps, WIC, and international food aid. It also contains $2.3 billion for disaster spending, which is excluded from the budget caps. Appropriations Committee Chairman Harold Rogers promised today on the House floor that spending will not exceed the $1.043 trillion spending cap. Well, the extra $2.3 billion in disaster spending allowed him to do just that. Moreover, if they continue to adopt the higher spending levels of the Democrats, the only way to stay below the cap will be to cut defense appropriations. Worse, this bill has a provision, which was inserted into the conference report, to expand the role of Fannie Mae and Freddi Mac.

Last year, as part of their ‘Pledge To America,‘ Republicans promised to downsize Freddie/Fannie. They also promised to end the practice of minibus bills. Today, they violated both pledges. Yes, we know that mantra; it’s a minibus bill; not an omnibus. But the reality is that House Republicans never had an opportunity to vote and amend two-thirds of the bill.

Fortunately, more and more members are hearing the voice of the grassroots. Even though the ‘don’t call it an Omnibus’ bill passed 298-121, it was opposed by 101 Republicans, and only passed with the help of Democrats. In the Senate, Jim DeMint and David Vitter have already blocked Harry Reid from passing a second minibus bill. So what is the response of the political appropriations establishment? This, from CQ:

With the apparent collapse of the Senate leadership strategy of packaging overdue spending bills in small bundles, the top House appropriator is preparing to wrap the remaining bills into a single measure.

During a meeting of the Rules Committee on Wednesday, Appropriations Chairman Harold Rogers, R-Ky., outlined his plan for an omnibus package including nine of the regular spending bills for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1.

Congress “will have to put together a rest of the bus,” Rogers said.

Indeed they will opt for an omnibus after all. And in the process, they will throw their 2010 campaign pledge under the bus.

Update: Thank you to the 101 House Republicans and 30 Senators who voted to uphold the pledge:

House

Adams, S. (FL-24) Akin (MO-02) Amash (MI-03) Amodei (NV-02) Austria (OH-07) Bartlett, R. (MD-06) Barton, J. (TX-06) Blackburn, M. (TN-07) Boustany (LA-07) Brady, K. (TX-08) Brooks (AL-05) Broun (GA-10) Bucshon (IN-08) Buerkle (NY-25) Burgess (TX-26) Burton, D. (IN-05) Canseco (TX-23) Chabot (OH-01) Chaffetz (UT-03) Coffman (CO-06) DesJarlais (TN-04) Duffy (WI-07) Duncan, Jeff (SC-03) Duncan, John (TN-02) Farenthold (TX-27) Fincher (TN-08) Flake (AZ-06) Fleischmann (TN-03) Fleming (LA-04) Foxx (NC-05) Franks, T. (AZ-02) Garrett (NJ-05) Gingrey (GA-11) Gohmert (TX-01) Gowdy (SC-04) Graves, T. (GA-09) Griffith (VA-09) Guinta (NH-01) Harris (MD-01) Hensarling (TX-05) Herger (CA-02) Herrera Beutler (WA-03) Huelskamp (KS-01) Huizenga (MI-02) Hultgren (IL-14) Hurt (VA-05) Jenkins (KS-02) Johnson, Timothy (IL-15) Jones (NC-03) Jordan (OH-04) King, S. (IA-05) Kinzinger (IL-11) Labrador (ID-01) Lamborn (CO-05) Landry, J. (LA-03) Lankford (OK-05) Lummis (WY-AL) Mack (FL-14) Marchant (TX-24) McClintock (CA-04) McCotter (MI-11) McHenry (NC-10) Miller, C. (MI-10) Miller, J. (FL-01) Mulvaney (SC-05) Murphy, T. (PA-18) Myrick (NC-09) Neugebauer (TX-19) Noem (SD-AL) Nugent (FL-05) Paulsen (MN-03) Pearce (NM-02) Pence (IN-06) Petri (WI-06) Poe (TX-02) Pompeo (KS-04) Posey (FL-15) Price, T. (GA-06) Quayle (AZ-03) Reed, T. (NY-29) Ribble (WI-08) Rigell (VA-02) Ross, D. (FL-12) Royce (CA-40) Ryan, P. (WI-01) Schmidt (OH-02) Schweikert (AZ-05) Scott, A. (GA-08) Scott, T. (SC-01) Sensenbrenner (WI-05) Southerland (FL-02) Stearns (FL-06) Stutzman (IN-03) Sullivan (OK-01) Terry (NE-02) Tipton (CO-03) Walberg (MI-07) Walsh (IL-08) Westmoreland, L. (GA-03) Wilson, J. (SC-02) Young, T. (IN-09)

Senate

Ayotte (NH) Barrasso (WY) Burr (NC) Chambliss (GA) Coats (IN) Coburn (OK) Corker (TN) Cornyn (TX) Crapo (ID) DeMint (SC) Enzi (WY) Grassley (IA) Hatch (UT) Heller (NV) Inhofe (OK) Isakson (GA) Johnson, R. (WI) Kirk (IL) Lee, M. (UT) Lugar (IN) McCain (AZ) Paul, Rand (KY) Portman (OH) Risch (ID) Rubio (FL) Sessions, J. (AL) Shelby (AL) Thune (SD) Toomey (PA) Vitter (LA)

[IbJensen]

Senator Toomey’s tax reform plan is one of the better ones to come out of the Supercommittee so far.

It is basically a scaled down version of the Bowles-Simpson proposal which is still the best plan to reform the tax code because eliminating tax expenditures and lowering marginal tax rates allows Congress to simplify the tax code, improve fairness, and spur economic growth. http://eng.am/noTDPF

This proposal will not be the last we hear from members of the Supercommittee, but it should at least be the new starting point.

Ultimately, the best thing the Supercommittee can do is put the Obama-Boehner grand bargain back on the table because it has no other choice but to go big or go home.

[goldstategop]

They’ll throw us under the bus before they throw themselves under the bus. Congress is trying to rob us while we’re busy waiting for the holidays to arrive.

[Diogenesis]

Congress is complicit in the vitiation
of America and treason against the American people.

Why? Profit, while they pretend to be stupid.

[Rational Thought]

They (the Republican Establishment) are begging for the birth of a major Third Party, and it’s appearing more likely they will get their wish.

[rightwingextremist1776]

‘cept it will be the birth of a new SECOND party....moving the GOP to the garbage bin of history where it belongs.

[ZULU]

This is what happens when policy decisions are made by career serial criminals (professional officeholders).

[chiefqc]

Pre election - blah, blah, blah - we promise, we are going to, no tax increase, blah, blah , blah.

After election - F off we will do whatever we want, screwed you again, suckers.

[concerned about politics]

They got their spending increase. That's all that matters. It's not like they're going to pay for it with their own money.
The tax slaves will just have to work harder and longer. What are they going to do? Complain about it? Humph.

[EternalVigilance]

http://www.selfgovernment.us/

[mcshot]

We can’t complain as have “no standing” and are “lazy”.

[jagusafr]

Well, well...Kay Bailey Hutchison didn’t “stand strong”. Not shocked, just disappointed yet again.

[Eagle of Liberty]

I like how they voted for this “small budget extension” completely under the radar.

[Prokopton]

This is why the presidential election is of little meaning unless we can elect an outsider who would veto all of these bills. Even then, it will be a struggle if sworn enemies of constitutional conservatives, like Crybaby Boehner, remain in power.

This war has many fronts and, unfortunately, conservatives are losing on every one.

[ilgipper]

Ultimately, the best thing the Supercommittee can do is put the Obama-Boehner grand bargain back on the table because it has no other choice but to go big or go home.

Disagree completely. We will never get real reform with a Harry Reid Senate and Obama White House. If they 'go big' it will mean either massive tax increases or bad reforms to the entitlements. The left will never allow real change away from central government planning. A reform of Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid must be a shift back to the states and to the citizens, and away from DC planning. This is not something the a left majority will ever allow.

[LibLieSlayer]

Any of you that still trust any elected republicans in dc... are fools. After the first 20,000 times that they have screwed us over was enough for me to see the truth. ALL incumbents in both parties should be purged. Few actually will lose their seats... far too few.

LLS

[NTHockey]

Neither did Col. West, the Tea Party darling. I guess the corruption in Versailles on the Potomac is stronger than Viet Cong, Iraqis and Taliban combined.

[upchuck]

South Carolina
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As you might expect, Duncan, Gowdy, Mulvaney, Scott, Wilson and DeMint vote against. Linda and Clyburn voted Yea.

Link.