U.S. spending deal would raise tobacco age, deny some of Trump border wall funding

Reuters ^ | December 16, 2019 | by Richard Cowan, Susan Cornwell

[Oldeconomybuyer]

Congress would raise the U.S. tobacco purchasing age to 21 and permanently repeal several of the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) taxes under a massive government spending bill due to be released later on Monday, congressional sources said.

Republican and Democratic lawmakers hope to pass the $1.4 trillion spending bill before current government funding runs out on Saturday, to avoid a partial government shutdown and head off the kind of messy budget battle that resulted in a record 35-day interruption of government services late last year and early this year.

The legislation, worked out during weeks of negotiations between leading lawmakers and the Trump administration, denies President Donald Trump the spending increase he has sought to build his signature wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Most Democrats and some Republicans support a mix of improved physical barriers at the border, along with a combination of high-tech surveillance equipment and patrols by all-terrain vehicles and even horses.

They have mostly rejected Trump’s calls for at least $24 billion over the long run to build his much-touted wall, which he originally said Mexico would finance. Mexico rejected that idea. The wall’s price tag could escalate as the federal government is forced to acquire private lands for construction.

Negotiators settled on $7.6 billion for conducting next year’s census, which is done once every 10 years. That would be $1.4 billion more than Trump proposed.

The bill also allocates $25 million for federal gun violence research, following a decades-long suspension of such funding.

All of the money would fund government programs through Sept. 30, 2020.

[Revel]

The federal government has no authority to write a law about such a thing. It is a state issue via the constitution.

[Pirate Ragnar]

So you can be a soldier fighting in Afghanistan or some other god forsaken place, but you can’t have a cigarette if you are not 21.

[Buckeye McFrog]

Do the Feds have a drinking age? I thought all that bs was by state?

Power lies with the states, but Uncle Sugar blackmails them into doing it Washington's way by threatening to withhold Federal funds. Sadly this was the work of Ronaldus Maxiumus, who folded to tremendous pressure from MADD back in the 80's.

[Oldeconomybuyer]

Well played sir!

[lastchance]

Next: age limit for sodas.

[trebb]

“They have mostly rejected Trump’s calls for at least $24 billion over the long run to build his much-touted wall...”

And OAN shows the daily/expected annual cost of illegals - this year it should top $300 billion..

[A Voice]

I see what you did there.