Omnibusted! - Granite Grok

Omnibusted!

hundreddollarbills-money-cash-bloomberg-750xx1024-576-0-53If President Donald Trump wants to re-establish his credibility when it comes to budgets, he can do one simple thing – right now.

Hold a press conference and let every department head and member of Congress know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you will never vote for another omnibus spending bill.

That simple promise will force the Federal Government to put twelve individual appropriation bills to a vote.

It would be like a twelve-part, individual opportunity to review and pass, or veto, each appropriation as our system of congressional spending operated in the past.

If Congress can’t get it done, it is their problem. They knew ahead of time what would happen. The twelve individual appropriations stand on their own merits – or an omnibus bill is “dead on arrival.”

Here in New Hampshire, our town meetings used to do the same thing. Each department had a single line item, as did school budgets. After years of suggestions by experts (claiming it would make meetings go smoother), we only get one huge appropriation. With no way to select an individual allocation within the bottom line budget to increase or de-fund the bottom line number wins every time.

Our annual meetings are little more than a special interest sham. Town and school employees and perennial “yes” voters run the table. Discussion is moot.

President Trump has some tools at his disposal. He should use them.

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