Incoming House Republicans urged Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to nix plans to pass a $1.7 trillion omnibus bill and instead pass a short-term continuing resolution (CR), which would give a House Republican majority input on a longer-term spending bill, Breitbart News has learned exclusively.
Breitbart News obtained the letter, which was spearheaded by Rep. Josh Brecheen (R-OK).
“As incoming freshman Members of the House of Representatives, we urge Senate Republicans to hold the line and oppose the $1.7 trillion omnibus appropriations package for fiscal year 2023,” the House Republicans-elect set out in the missive to McConnell and Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL), the vice chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
“We support House Republican Leadership’s push for a short-term continuing resolution into 2023, allowing the new House Republican majority, of which we are a part, an opportunity to claw back President Biden’s agenda.”
Reps. Josh Brecheen (R-OK), Andy Ogles (R-TN), Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), Eli Crane (R-AZ), Nathaniel Moran (R-TX), Eric Burlison (R-MO), Rich McCormick (R-GA), Keith Self (R-TX), Mike Collins (R-GA), Russell Fry (R-SC), Mike Lawler (R-NY), Erin Houchin (R-IN), Harriet Hageman (R-WY), Nick Langworthy (R-NY), Wesley Hunt (R-TX) wrote the letter, contending that it is “disheartening” to see Senate Republicans work with Democrats to craft a $1.7 trillion omnibus bill given that the American people gave Republicans the House majority to serve as a “check” on Biden’s “radical, reckless agenda.”
The lawmakers wrote to McConnell and Shelby:
As you are well aware, the American people have suffered under the Biden Administration’s policies. Though our Southern Border is already in extreme crisis, resulting in record numbers of border encounters and overdose deaths from synthetic opioids like fentanyl, Title 42 is set to be lifted this month which will only exacerbate the crisis. The Administration’s war on energy has led to higher prices at the pump at a time when American families are already feeling the pressure of record inflation unseen in forty years. Despite the economic pressures, 87,000 new IRS agents are set to target Americans’ tax returns. Under President Biden’s leadership our military readiness has been harmed—men and women in uniform who were forced out of service due to the arbitrary and unscientific COVID-19 vaccine mandate have no means of recourse or reinstatement. Further, Biden’s public health agencies have wreaked havoc on our citizens with impunity. From vaccine mandates to medical censorship, to rogue research funding abroad, to liability protections for vaccine manufacturers, these agencies have harmed the public—all while we are still under a 33-month long Public Health Emergency for the virus even when the President said the “pandemic is over.”
House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has attacked Senate Republican leadership for not moving forward with a short-term continuing resolution (CR) that would fund the government right as Republicans as slated to take back the House.
McCarthy said on Fox News on Tuesday, “They’re trying to jam us right before Christmas. Why would you ever move forward when there’s a change in power in 21 days where Republicans would have a stronger hand? We wouldn’t be talking about adding more money. We’d talk about decreasing.”
Instead, Congress passed a one-week CR that will give congressional leaders time to craft the $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill, which will likely be released on Monday.
The incoming House Republicans said that passing a $1.7 trillion omnibus would only empower the Biden administration.
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and his leadership team arrive to speak to reporters following a closed-door policy meeting, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
“It is for this reason that it is disheartening to see Senate Republicans working with Democrats to reach an agreement on a $1.7 trillion omnibus when we are set to gavel in in a matter of days.
“Plainly, a vote in favor of an omnibus is a vote to empower this Administration for another year. Please stand with House Republicans and, more importantly, the American people in this effort,” the lawmakers concluded in their letter to McConnell and Shelby.
View the letter in full below:
Brecheen Letter to McConnell and Shelby – 12-15-22 by Breitbart News on Scribd
Sean Moran is a policy reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.
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