Following the passing of the $1.3 trillion omnibus spending bill last week, Americans have taken to the internet and phone lines expressing their outrage as the federal government has once again sold out the security of generations yet to be born in exchange for political gain and brownie points. The bill, which was 2,232 pages long and never debated in Congress, was passed with large bipartisan support by politicians who rarely read the bills they pass, by a vote of 256-167. 145 Republicans and 111 Democrats voted ‘yea,’ compared to 90 Republicans and 77 Democrats who voted ‘nay.’ Despite threatening a veto via Twitter, President Trump has signed the bill into law following a long speech in which he chastised both Democrats and Republicans in Congress for failing to come up with a reasonable budget.
The omnibus spending bill, which continues to pile massive amounts of debt onto the American people, does far more than allocate funds to the most basic functions of government. In fact, it even strips rights away from the American people. Buried deep inside the 2,232 pages of spending authorization is funding for the ‘Fix NICS Bill,’ a controversial program capable of stripping gun rights away from law-abiding American citizens, and even seniors with financial problems. In addition to funding Fix NICS, Congress has also allocated a total of $50 million to the STOP School Violence Act, designed by the anti-gun extremist group Sandy Hook Promise, which will expressly prohibit schools from using federal funds to arm teachers, leading The Atlantic to laud Congress for taking ‘baby steps’ towards gun control.
Closer to home, Virginia’s 11 member Congressional delegation voted largely in favor of the massive spending bill, although outlying conservatives Dave Brat, Tom Garrett, and Morgan Griffith, all Republicans, cast votes in opposition. Of Virginia’s 8 members of Congress who stood in favor of the spending increase, 4 were members of the Republican Party who spent their campaigns promising fiscal conservatism and an end to reckless spending in Washington, and 4 were Democrats, who of course, we expect this sort of reckless spending out of.
Back in their districts, Republicans Barbara Comstock and Scott Taylor’s ‘yea’ votes haven’t played out very well with their constituents, who have grown increasingly frustrated with an unpopular, ineffective Congress, and the complacency that seems to have engulfed both representatives on Capitol Hill. Both Comstock and Taylor face primary opposition within their own party, as retired Air Force Officer Shak Hill rides a swelling base of support in Comstock’s 10th District, and former James City County Supervisor and community leader Mary Jones leads a Tea Party-style campaign against Scott Taylor in the 2nd.
Following Congresswoman Comstock’s vote in favor of the more than $1 trillion spending bill, Hill, who has recently gained ballot access, took to Facebook with a message to the people of Virginia’s 10th Congressional District, expressing his disgust with the bill as he said ‘Beltway Barbara Comstock voted for more abortion, more gun control, and more illegals.’ Jones echoed Hill’s sentiments citing Congressman Taylor’s voting record as a driving force behind her run for Congress, vowing to never vote in favor of abortion, gun control, and amnesty, and assuring her supporters that her vote ‘is not for sale.’
In addition to Hill and Jones, Ryan McAdams, a minister from Williamsburg running for the Republican nomination in Virginia’s 4th Congressional District, a seat currently occupied by liberal Democrat and omnibus supporter Donald McEachin, referred to the 256 ‘yea’ votes as ‘budget betrayal,’ a sentiment shared by the millions of furious Americans who have just witnessed Congress effortlessly shred another trillion dollars.
Rob Wittman also voted for the bill, causing many to quickly check for primary challengers in Virginia’s 1st Congressional District. There are currently no challengers who will be on the ballot. 2020 may be a year Wittman could have to defend his seat.
If Virginia’s 6th Congressional District, Bob Goodlatte voted for the bill that has infuriated the base. However, Goodlatte has announced his intentions to not seek reelection. The two frontrunners to replace Goodlatte are State Committeewoman Cynthia Dunbar and Delegate Ben Cline. Both are seen as conservatives who would have voted against the Omnibus bill.
On the bright side, with the passing of the omnibus bill, Congress has allocated millions of dollars for the construction of border walls, a clear nod to the effectiveness of man-made barriers. Unfortunately, these walls will be located in the Middle East, not along America’s southern border, but the American people can sleep peacefully at night knowing the citizens of Jordan are safely positioned behind a well-protected border.
