U.S. Rep Barry Moore (R-Enterprise) is encouraging Republicans in Congress to extend the federal funding vote until next year when they take control of the House.
Moore voted against a one-week continuing resolution (CR) on Wednesday, which gave congressional leadership time to formulate a $1.7 trillion omnibus bill to fund the federal government for one more year.
The CR passed the House and the Senate, and U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Tuscaloosa) said 12 appropriations subcommittees would need to deliberate on the omnibus package for several days.
However, Moore suggests the funding package be carried over until the Jan. 3, 2023 session, after Republicans take the House majority.
Continuing resolutions fund the government for a limited time based on the previous year's appropriations until Congress can pass a budget for the fiscal year.
Typically, Congress passes 12 appropriations bills each fiscal year, which allocate taxpayer funds across the federal government. However, in recent years, Congress has failed to meet the deadline and introduced a last-minute omnibus funding bill, encompassing all 12 appropriations bills into one package.
According to U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn), Congress has not met its October deadline in 20 years.
Moore says the omnibus package has not been released. However, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has said it would include additional funds to Ukraine, among other provisions.
Moore has been critical of the Democrats' unwillingness to pass a budget on time and in the traditional form of 12 separate bills.
"These omnibus bills are rarely subject to amendments or meaningful debate on the House or Senate floor," Moore said in September. "Anyone daring to scrutinize or vote against the last-minute package is tarred with the "pro-government shutdown" brush.
"One vote, a press release leading with 'while this was a difficult decision,' then it’s home for the holidays, with American taxpayers getting a lump of coal in their stocking in the form of job-killing Green New Deal regulations, funding for tens of thousands of new IRS bureaucrats, and unchecked expansion of government spending worsening historic inflation."
On Jan. 3, 2023, Congress will officially convene with a Republican majority in the House of Representatives. Moore suggests the budget be further pushed until then, so the budget can be properly studied and debated.
"Instead of rolling over and submitting to retiring and defeated Democrats, Republicans must insist that funding levels are extended past the lame duck session into the new Congress so that the American people can hold accountable the elected officials spending their tax dollars," Moore said Thursday.
To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email craig.monger@1819news.com.
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