OPINION:
Congress has returned from Christmas vacation, and that means it’s time for them to spend our money. If only they did so with a bit more care.
The House and Senate colluded to grease the adoption of a three-bill minibus that distributes $175 billion to the departments of Commerce, Justice and Interior and related agencies. At a “slim” 400 pages, it is an upgrade from the 1,000-plus-page free-for-alls that customarily arrive moments before the fiscal deadline.
Democratic glee over this plan raises some concern.
“Passing these bills will help ensure that Congress, not President Trump and Russ Vought, decides how taxpayer dollars are spent — by once again providing hundreds of detailed spending directives and reasserting congressional control over these incredibly important spending decisions,” Sen. Patty Murray, Washington Democrat, said in a statement.
Her words have a veneer of plausibility. Under the Constitution, Congress must specifically approve any payment from Uncle Sam. Mr. Vought, the president’s budgetary chief, points out that the converse isn’t true. Our founding document doesn’t require consent each time the commander in chief decides not to waste federal resources.
Mr. Trump, for instance, proposed trimming the mostly useless Commerce Department by allocating $8.5 billion for its operations. Congressional appropriators balked, insisting on upping the figure to $10.5 billion. The Justice Department might receive $37 billion, even though the president requested only $33 billion.
If the big numbers are disappointing, then the fine print is even worse. Rep. Chip Roy, a Texas Republican, uncovered an earmark inserted by Rep. Ilhan Omar, Minnesota Democrat, that would allocate $1 million to the Somali-led “Justice Empowerment Initiative” by Generation Hope.
Talk about bad timing. Recent events have drawn the public’s attention to scam artists in the Land of 10,000 Lakes who have plundered millions of dollars from taxpayers by forming organizations of dubious value. Mr. Roy secured an agreement to strip that funding, but there’s a lot more where that came from.
Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Massachusetts Democrat and fellow “Squad” member, would cut a $1 million check to a “Climate Corps Fellowship” that promises to impose “climate justice.” Sen. Bernard Sanders, Vermont independent, would give $2 million to the law firm in his state that is suing the administration on behalf of illegal aliens who don’t want to be returned to their home country. Rep. Jimmy Gomez, California Democrat, is backing a similar initiative in Los Angeles with $1 million from the Treasury.
When Republicans held a strong majority in the House, they banned earmarks, as the practice was seen as a means to help members buy votes for reelection. The current leadership has to hold its nose and allow the pork barreling because its majority is too fragile to fight prodigal appropriations within the Republican ranks.
Despite the flaws, the administration backs the overall package. The recent government shutdown drama energized Democrats to turn out in droves during November’s off-year elections in New Jersey and Virginia. The White House has no desire to repeat that timeline, so it overlooks the nasty sections of the legislation that block Mr. Vought from restructuring bloated agencies.
“If this bill were presented to the President in its current form, his senior advisers would recommend that he sign it into law,” the White House said in a statement of its policy.
They have their eyes on the big picture. Perfection can’t be the standard until voters realize that sending profligate politicians to Washington is bad for their pocketbooks. Sometimes, you have to sign a bill that’s good enough.
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