{"id":2381744,"date":"2024-12-19T07:29:02","date_gmt":"2024-12-19T12:29:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/crumbled-omnibus-bill-is-a-mess-of-speaker-johnsons-making\/"},"modified":"2024-12-19T07:31:31","modified_gmt":"2024-12-19T12:31:31","slug":"crumbled-omnibus-bill-is-a-mess-of-speaker-johnsons-making","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/crumbled-omnibus-bill-is-a-mess-of-speaker-johnsons-making\/","title":{"rendered":"Crumbled Omnibus Bill Is A Mess Of Speaker Johnson&#8217;s Making"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcrumbled-omnibus-bill-is-a-mess-of-speaker-johnsons-making%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2381744&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Speaker Mike Johnson\u200d is facing\u2063 backlash\u200d from conservatives upset \u2064with his \u200dhandling of a controversial \u200bChristmas-time stopgap spending\u200b bill. The \u200bproposed legislation, which amassed over 1,500 pages, has been criticized for being \u200ca bloated omnibus filled with pork and dubious provisions, including a pay raise for Congress and options to bypass the Affordable Care Act. Conservatives\u200d allege that the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">bill represents excessive government spending<\/a> and is \u200dinfluenced by wealthy interests, taking aim at the perceived disconnect between lawmakers\u2019 financial benefits and the struggles of everyday Americans.<\/p>\n<p>The criticism intensified following a collapse of support for \u200bthe measure, with\u2064 figures such as former President Donald Trump and \u2064entrepreneur \u2063Elon Musk publicly denouncing it. Johnson\u2019s leadership \u200cis at risk as he \u2062navigates \u200cmounting pressure\u2063 to either fully reorganize the \u2063proposal or risk a government shutdown. \u2063Some lawmakers made stark comparisons to graphic imagery to\u2063 express their disapproval \u2064of the bill, \u2062highlighting a growing sentiment that Congress needs to be more accountable in its spending decisions. As\u2063 political tensions rise, Johnson is caught in a precarious position, trying to maintain his role amid\u2064 dissent from both the party&#8217;s grassroots and\u2062 leadership.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/12\/18\/the-american-people-didnt-vote-for-this-conservatives-blast-johnsons-christmastime-spending-scam\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Speaker Mike Johnson<\/a> is getting some well-deserved coal in his stocking from conservatives livid with the Louisiana Republican&rsquo;s attempt to play Santa with a Christmas list stopgap spending bill.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The massive house-of-cards measure Johnson countenanced <a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/republicans-scrap-spending-bill-after-pressure-campaign-from-elon-musk-2024-12\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">collapsed<\/a> Wednesday amid scathing criticism from conservatives and an incoming president who urged Republicans to get &ldquo;SMART and Tough&rdquo; with Democrats.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>&lsquo;Rich People&rsquo;<\/h2>\n<p>Johnson <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/government-shutdown-house-vote-continuing-resolution\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">loathes the descriptor<\/a>, but the proposed <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.house.gov\/billsthisweek\/20241216\/CR.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">resolution<\/a> the speaker has presided over is nothing more than a bloated omnibus bill packed with pork, <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/12\/18\/mike-johnsons-omnibus-resuscitates-state-department-group-that-censored-the-federalist\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">censorship<\/a>, and sweetheart deals for Congress. Turning from his reported intentions to deliver a clean &ldquo;continuing resolution&rdquo; to keep the bloated federal government fully open for another few months, the simple spending plan has grown to a bloated <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.house.gov\/billsthisweek\/20241216\/CR.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">1,500-plus pages<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>On Wednesday, the scam proposal included a possible pay hike for congressional members and a provision allowing senators and representatives to opt out of Obamacare for better <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lawrence-keane-ending-banking-discrimination-is-a-necessary-fight-for-the-firearm-industry\/\" title=\"Lawrence Keane: Ending Banking Discrimination is a Necessary Fight for the Firearm Industry\">taxpayer-funded insurance<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Rank-and-file lawmakers currently earn<a href=\"https:\/\/crsreports.congress.gov\/product\/pdf\/RL\/RL30064#:~:text=The%20compensation%20for%20most%20Senators,from%20Puerto%20Rico%20is%20%24174,000.&amp;text=These%20levels%20have%20remained%20unchanged%20since%202009.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> $174,000 <\/a>annually, with higher pay for those in leadership posts. House members earlier this year blocked a proposed pay raise despite complaints from some.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I live in the Washington, D.C., area. It&rsquo;s an expensive area in which to live,&rdquo; Rep. Steny H. Hoyer, D-Md., <a href=\"https:\/\/rollcall.com\/2024\/06\/14\/legislative-branch-spending-bill-advances-without-member-pay-bump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a> in June. &ldquo;This is a serious issue as to whether or not the only people who can serve here are rich people.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>With plenty of perks, federal lawmakers are faring much better than most Americans, critics assert. The proposed pay jump would potentially give lawmakers a <a href=\"https:\/\/patryan.house.gov\/media\/press-releases\/congressman-pat-ryan-pledges-vote-against-pay-raise-members-congress#:~:text=Members%20of%20Congress%20currently%20earn,Member%20salary%20increase%20of%20%246%2C600.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">3.8 percent raise,<\/a> or about $6,600 a year, pushing gross pay to $180,600 in 2025.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The congressional benefits package would give members a pass from the awful Obamacare health insurance the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/j.ctvmd856f\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">First Branch<\/a> of government has stuck millions of Americans with. It also would allow the lawmakers to enroll in the Cadillac plans of the Federal Employee Health Benefits <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.house.gov\/billsthisweek\/20241216\/CR.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">(FEHB) program<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>&lsquo;A Certain Sandwich&rsquo;<\/h2>\n<p>Per usual, a dull <a href=\"https:\/\/www.collinsdictionary.com\/us\/dictionary\/english\/sword-of-damocles#:~:text=phrase,full%20dictionary%20entry%20for%20Damocles\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">sword of Damocles<\/a> hangs over the absurd stopgap spending battle, with the threat of a <a href=\"https:\/\/federalnewsnetwork.com\/federal-newscast\/2024\/12\/federal-agencies-facing-partial-government-shutdown-by-weeks-end\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&ldquo;government shutdown&rdquo;<\/a> if Congress doesn&rsquo;t reach a deal by midnight Friday (Spoiler Alert: Much of the government <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mercatus.org\/research\/data-visualizations\/how-much-government-actually-shut-down\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">doesn&rsquo;t actually shut down<\/a> at a funding impasse). Johnson&rsquo;s gold chariot turns back into a pumpkin. It&rsquo;s a Cinderella story in which many of the players are the wicked stepmother.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>On Wednesday, a day after the omnibus was released, the complaints came fast and furious. President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk, his incoming co-director of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/trump-department-of-government-efficiency-doge-elon-musk-ramaswamy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Department of Government Efficiency<\/a> (DOGE), blasted the bloated spending package, which crumbed under its own weight and awfulness. Trump told Fox News on Wednesday that he is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/trump-says-hes-totally-against-proposed-continuing-resolution-bill-fight-starts-now\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&ldquo;totally against&rdquo;<\/a> the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/house-freedom-caucus-comes-out-against-speaker-johnsons-stopgap-spending-plan-just-before-vote\/\" title=\"House Freedom Caucus Comes Out Against Speaker Johnson&#039;s Stopgap Spending Plan Just Before Vote\">stopgap spending plan<\/a>. Musk <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1869310453253546066\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">admonished the House on X,<\/a> the social platform he owns, asserting, &ldquo;This bill should not pass.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Ever seen a bigger piece of pork?&rdquo; Musk wrote above a photo of the massive omnibus.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<p>Some lawmakers were not as delicate.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s a certain sandwich that&rsquo;s made of feces, and that&rsquo;s what I would compare this to,&rdquo; Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/government-shutdown-house-vote-continuing-resolution\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a> Wednesday, according to CBS News. She raised concerns about jamming <a href=\"https:\/\/appropriations.house.gov\/news\/press-releases\/committee-releases-bill-continue-current-funding-and-provide-much-needed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$110 billion<\/a> in disaster relief into the omnibus bill. &ldquo;This is a s**t sandwich. I don&rsquo;t know how else to say that we&rsquo;re being forced into this position.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Fellow Florida Rep. Kat Cammack described the measure as &ldquo;a band-aid that is laced with fentanyl,&rdquo; the news outlet <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/government-shutdown-house-vote-continuing-resolution\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>&lsquo;Start Acting Like It&rsquo;<\/h2>\n<p>Johnson was feeling the strain early on over a catch-all spending bill that could prove professionally costly for the ever-equivocating speaker, who, with a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-backs-off-15-minimum-wage-as-virus-relief-plan-takes-shape\/\" title=\"Biden Backs Off  Minimum Wage As Virus Relief Plan Takes Shape\">razor-thin majority<\/a>, is hanging on to his leadership post by a fraying thread.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Complicating matters further for the embattled Johnson, Trump and incoming Vice President J.D. Vance on Wednesday called for a clean continuing resolution and for raising the <a href=\"https:\/\/home.treasury.gov\/policy-issues\/financial-markets-financial-institutions-and-fiscal-service\/debt-limit\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">debt ceiling<\/a> before the nation&rsquo;s untenable <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pgpf.org\/national-debt-clock\/?hsa_acc=1523796716&amp;hsa_cam=6450129295&amp;hsa_grp=78325826076&amp;hsa_ad=599289216394&amp;hsa_src=g&amp;hsa_tgt=kwd-12837151&amp;hsa_kw=national%20debt&amp;hsa_mt=b&amp;hsa_net=adwords&amp;hsa_ver=3&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gbraid=0AAAAADhh2DoLY0AI-h686OtgxmSiBYr7B&amp;gclid=CjwKCAiAgoq7BhBxEiwAVcW0LMoXxhdropgWSE1jOOTAvuJMKDe81Dnfg386cKUUxNkO61c6ZUCzthoCokkQAvD_BwE&amp;utm_term=national%20debt&amp;utm_campaign=Debt+clock&amp;utm_source=adwords&amp;utm_medium=ppc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$36.2 trillion debt<\/a> bumps up against the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pgpf.org\/article\/the-debt-ceiling-will-be-reinstated-on-january-1-heres-whats-at-stake\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reinstated ceiling<\/a> on Day 1 of the new year.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Republicans want to support our farmers, pay for disaster relief, and set our country up for success in 2025,&rdquo; Trump and Vance said in a statement posted on X. &ldquo;The only way to do that is with a temporary funding bill WITHOUT DEMOCRAT GIVEAWAYS combined with an increase in the debt ceiling. Anything else is a betrayal of our country.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The soon-to-be 47th president rallied Republicans to &ldquo;GET SMART and TOUGH.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;If Democrats threaten to shut down the government unless we give them everything they want, then CALL THEIR BLUFF. It is [Senate Majority Leader Chuck] Schumer and [President Joe] Biden who are holding up aid to our farmers and disaster relief,&rdquo; Trump wrote. He added that the chaos surrounding the funding plan wouldn&rsquo;t be happening &ldquo;IF WE HAD A REAL PRESIDENT. WE WILL IN 32 DAYS!&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><span><\/p>\n<blockquote data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<div lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\n<p>A statement from President Donald J. Trump and Vice President-Elect JD Vance:<\/p>\n<p>The most foolish and inept thing ever done by Congressional Republicans was allowing our country to hit the debt ceiling in 2025. It was a mistake and is now something that must be addressed.&hellip;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>&mdash; JD Vance (@JDVance) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JDVance\/status\/1869495076604227726?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 18, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>&ldquo;Smart&rdquo; and &ldquo;tough&rdquo; have not necessarily been the hallmarks of Johnson in his rocky tenure as Speaker of the House. While there surely are political realities all congressional leaders face, particularly in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/government-shutdown-fears-grow-as-democrats-and-gop-senators-frustrated-by-freedom-caucus\/\" title=\"Democrats and GOP senators increasingly frustrated by Freedom Caucus, heightening government shutdown concerns.\">crafting spending bills<\/a>, this is a mess of Johnson&rsquo;s making. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2024\/12\/18\/politics\/trump-vance-slam-johnson-funding-plan\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">told reporters<\/a> late Wednesday that Republicans would &ldquo;continue to work through the night, through the morning to get an agreement we can bring to the floor.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>They&rsquo;ll need to come up with something better than selling out conservative principles and playing wet nurse to big-spending liberals if they hope to have a deal worth making. A deal that reflects the mandate that voters just handed conservatives. &nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In other words, they should govern like they won an election.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We won. <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/HouseGOP\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">@HouseGOP<\/a> should start acting like it,&rdquo; Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, wrote in response to Musk&rsquo;s post on X.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<hr>\n<p>      Matt Kittle is a senior elections correspondent for The Federalist. An award-winning investigative reporter and 30-year veteran of print, broadcast, and online journalism, Kittle previously served as the executive director of Empower Wisconsin.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Speaker Mike Johnson faces backlash from conservatives over his spending bill attempt<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":656,"featured_media":2381745,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Screenshot-2024-12-19-at-1.10.26-AM-1024x532.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[17986,47096,47056,5894,35903],"class_list":["post-2381744","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","tag-crumble","tag-legislative-chaos","tag-omnibus-bill","tag-politics","tag-speaker-johnson"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Screenshot-2024-12-19-at-1.10.26-AM-1024x532.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2381744","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/656"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2381744"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2381744\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2381748,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2381744\/revisions\/2381748"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2381745"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2381744"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2381744"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2381744"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}