While we slept, Rep. Kristi Noem voted to reject the Senate’s deficit-boosting two-year spending plan and shut the government down again. So did 66 Republicans and 119 Democrats. But 73 Democrats rode to the rescue of Speaker Ryan’s hapless caucus and put the budget deal over the top, 240–186.
The spending bill won majorities of both caucuses in the Senate, though with 13 Republican nays, Leader McConnell wouldn’t have had enough votes to get his deal over the 50 hump, never mind the necessary 60, without capitulant Democrats. South Dakota’s Senators, John Thune and M. Michael Rounds, were good little boys and did what leadership told them.
You might have trouble looking up the budget deal, since it’s not called a budget deal. Its official title is “A bill to amend title 4, United States Code, to provide for the flying of the flag at half-staff in the event of the death of a first responder in the line of duty.” Evidently lawmakers grabbed a bill that sat around on their desks all last year authorizing governors and the mayor of D.C. to “proclaim that the U.S. flag shall be flown at half-staff in the event of the death of a first responder (public safety officer) working in such jurisdiction who dies while serving in the line of duty” and tacked on 503 pages and over 98,000 words of fiscal matters to fund the government on more deficit spending for two years and delay any more government shutdowns or debt ceiling crises until well after this year’s mid-term election.
So if Marty Jackley wants, he could start running ads today saying Kristi Noem voted against honoring first responders killed in the line of duty. Kristi Noem can respond that she really voted against a bill that extends the corruption-riddled EB-5 program for two years with no reforms, adds $300 billion to the deficit that could prompt further market volatility, and undercuts the arguments her party made against President Obama and used to bring Donald Trump to power.
Unfortunately for Kristi, Marty’s to-the-gut ad would probably beat her reasoned fiscal response in the SDGOP primary. Better get more video of you riding your horse, Kristi!
Related Reading: Senator Rand Paul asks the question of the year of his party:
“The reason I’m here tonight is to put people on the spot,” Mr. Paul said Thursday night. “I want people to feel uncomfortable. I want them to have to answer people at home who said, ‘How come you were against President Obama’s deficits and then how come you’re for Republican deficits?’” [Thomas Kaplan, “House Passes Budget Deal to Raise Spending and Reopen Government,” New York Times, updated 2018.02.09]
This budget deal, plus December’s crazy Republican tax-giveaway to the rich, puts us on a trajectory to have a larger national debt as a percentage of GDP than we had after fighting World War II.
Just in- Drumpf refuses to release Dems rebuttal memo citing security concerns of all things.
New spending bill means Drumpf will have to borrow more than trillion this year alone to add to his deficits and debt.
The last week of stock market turmoil wiped out 5 trillion in wealth around the world. No wonder Frumpf wants to blame Obama and his free money for the damage.