The U.S. House is unveiling its new “minibus” spending package. It is a bill “to keep the federal government funded in the short-term”. This is the second such bill this year for that purpose. Doesn’t it kind of make you want to actually have a budget?
It’s a $1 trillion behemoth. The intention is it will ride on top of the coronavirus spending. It is over and above the already being proposed $3+ trillion by House Donkeys which the spineless Elephants are nibbling at. The real kicker is: The bill also includes $207 billion in “emergency spending”. Proponents say it is necessary to address the COVID-19 pandemic. If that’s true what does the House bill do?
The contents of the covid 19 pandemic bill…
Much of this “emergency spending” doesn’t have anything to do with the coronavirus outbreak. Never let a good emergency go to waste. The Daily Signal reports the following spending items:
- $17 billion for Army Corps of Engineers work on water infrastructure projects such as dams. This has nothing to do with the pandemic. Worse, it continues the “rob Peter to pay Paul” practice. It subsidizes certain states and localities at the expense of others.
- $23.5 billion for the Department of Energy, most of which would go toward “green” initiatives. This would be yet another attempt to jump-start the Green New Deal. It seeks to transform the economy. The bill gives even more power and control to bureaucrats and politicians in the District of Columbia.
- $61 billion in subsidies for expanding broadband internet service, primarily to rural areas. This is currently messaged as necessary to help children with remote learning as a result of school building closures. In reality, it would be a substantial subsidy to a rapidly shrinking number of households, and deployment would take far too long to help districts during the upcoming school year.
- $26 billion for transportation infrastructure, which is promoted as an economic recovery measure. There are gaping holes in this plan. Infrastructure spending is ineffective as economic stimulus. It is slow-moving and tends to shift rather than create jobs. Worse, the spending is weighted toward mass transit. This represents a tiny portion of the nation’s transportation use. The spending would provide minimal value.
- $49 billion for the Department of Housing and Urban Development. This roughly doubles its spending. Nothing that this agency does has any meaningful relationship to addressing the pandemic. This is boondoggle spending primarily subsidize people who choose to live in urban areas.
Economic freedom requires self discipline
This means $166 of the $207 billion in “emergency spending” is either wasteful and unnecessary or has nothing to do with COVID. Just think about it… There is no integrity in D.C. And you are going to pay for that… with your tax dollars… and your children’s tax dollars … and your grand children’s tax dollars.
Congress has abused its taxpayer funded credit card long enough. For decades, our representatives have used our money to advance their political agenda, their power-plays, and their career moves. Are we going to let politicians keep playing the same old game?
Are we going to all them to go to the “Never let a good emergency go to waste” policy again. Or do we have the backbone to call a halt to the madness? Mice die in traps because they never figure out why the cheese is free.