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On behalf of our activist community, I urge you to contact your senators and representative and ask them to vote NO on the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2019. The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2019 will increase the discretionary spending caps by more $320 billion over two fiscal years and suspend the debt limit through July 31, 2021.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., recently told reporters he had spoken with Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., about a potential deal to increase the discretionary spending caps for fiscal years 2020 and 2021. House and Senate Republicans should reject any such deal unless it includes meaningful and immediate mandatory spending cuts.
On behalf of FreedomWorks’ activist community, I urge you to contact your representative and urge him or her to vote NO on the “Investing for the People Act,” H.R. 2021. Introduced by Rep. John Yarmuth (D-Ky.), H.R. 2021, which should be called the “Bankrupting the People Act,” would bust the discretionary spending caps by $360.8 billion relative to current law over two fiscal years.
It’s no secret that Republicans have a difficult time doing what they said, but that doesn’t stop them from pretending they’re trying. True conservatives have been trying to end crony subsidies for years and the Farm Bill, H.R. 2, was supposed to be their chance to end wasteful programs that have been draining the economy since the New Deal era.
Back in April, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released regular budget outlook for the current year and 2019 through 2028 budget window. The report was concerning because it showed that the share of the debt held by the public as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) would increase from 78 percent in 2018 to 96.2 percent in 2028.
In February, Congress passed the Bipartisan Budget Act, H.R. 1892, which busted the discretionary spending caps by nearly $300 billion over two years, increasing them to $1.291 trillion for FY 2018 and $1.321 trillion for FY 2019. The budget passed the Senate by a vote of 71 to 28 and the House by a vote of 240 to 186. Sixteen Republicans voted against the budget in the Senate and 67 in the House.
The alarm is sounding once again on federal spending, and few in Congress are paying attention serious problems that America faces if it doesn’t get the nation’s finances into order.
FreedomWorks is proud to recognize Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) as our member of the month for June. Rep. Amash represents Michigan’s 3rd Congressional District, which encompasses Grand Rapids, as well as a decent portion of the southwest part of the state. Rep. Amash has served the district since January 2011.
House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) told reporters earlier today that the government spending bill will be released late Tuesday evening, likely right before midnight. The House will vote on Thursday. The Senate will follow. As long as the bill isn't amended, the bill will subsequently go to the president's desk. But the process has cast a dark cloud for this spending bill. And the $1.3 trillion at which Congress will appropriate is also a reminder of a bad budget deal Congress recently passed.
Republicans in Congress have retreated on their pledges to cut spending. How else should one interpret the passage of the Bipartisan Budget Act, H.R. 1892, last week? The bill busts the spending caps by $296 billion over two years ($165 billion for defense and $131 billion for nondefense). Congress added another $80 billion in disaster relief, bringing the total to at least $376 billion.