Just a few hours at most after receiving the information leading to our last post Trump signed the omnibus bill. So what’s afoot?
- He doesn’t want to negotiate, its good enough?
- He is distracted?
- He made commitments but played his base for a while?
- He was given an offer he couldn’t refuse?
“I’ve signed this omnibus budget bill … there are a lot of things that I’m unhappy about.” He stated, “I’ll never sign another bill like this again.”
Then again he is no deficit hawk and congressional leadership certainly has no compunctions. But seriously, look at what the government continues to spend money on in the bill. To the extent infrastructure is in there, and some is, you can bet it is larded up with last-minute ad ins. Why did he not insist on his priorities, with certain promised deletions of programs that fund high-profile bad actors (Planned Parenthood, Public Broadcasting and more) and a percentage cut on everything else sent to him?
Even just a percentage cut to what they sent him even as it will still be an expansion, and make Democrats decide what they want to cut in order to save some other program. Do that just to show good faith with taxpayers by sending it back. That would be good politics. True, percentage cuts are not always the best way to budget but it can’t really hurt that pile of …
Omnibus spending bill complicates administration’s reorg plans (omnibus contains a provision that makes departments spend unless congress cuts)
Tucked in the 2,232-page omnibus spending bill is a provision that adds another layer of complication to the Trump administration’s reorganization initiatives. According to the omnibus, agencies cannot simply cut or eliminate a specific program or office unless Congress has authorized the move in an appropriations bill.
“None of the funds made available in this or any other appropriations Act may be used to increase, eliminate, or reduce funding for a program, project, or activity as proposed in the president’s budget request for a fiscal year until such proposed change is subsequently enacted in an appropriation act, or unless such change is made pursuant to the reprogramming or transfer provisions of this or any other appropriations act,” the 2018 spending bill reads.
Though many agencies’ reorganization plans will eventually require congressional action, the 2018 omnibus slows departments from cutting whole offices or programs immediately on their own without congressional approval.
Civilian agencies are generally spared from the deep spending cuts the president’s 2018 and 2019 budget proposals originally suggested. Even agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency will see its budget frozen for the remainder of the fiscal year.
We are pretty sure this is less Congress wanting hands on oversight than maintaining the gravy train.
https://federalnewsradio.com/budget/2018/03/omnibus-complicates-administrations-reorganization-plans-as-congress-begins-votes/
