103 Republicans defect from Ryan and Trump over $1.2 trillion spending bill

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103 Republicans defect from Ryan, Trump as House passes $1.2 trillion spending bill

More than 100 House Republicans broke from their leadership on Wednesday and voted against a $1.2 trillion spending bill to keep the government open through September, which passed thanks to Democrats' near-unanimous support.

The bill passed 309-118, in a vote that saw 103 Republican oppose the measure. Republicans were almost split in half on the vote, as just 132 GOP lawmakers voted for it, along with 178 Democrats.

That opposition from Republicans reflects anger over how the bill was negotiated, which resulted in a final product that didn't include money for President Trump's border wall, and included funding for other Democratic priorities. Many Republicans groused that the bill was written as if Republicans weren't in charge of the House, Senate and White House.

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/103-republicans-defect-from-ryan-trump-as-house-passes-12-trillion-spending-bill/article/2622044

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Freedom Caucus member Andy Biggs: Budget bill surrenders to demands of Democrats

by Rep. Andy Biggs | May 3, 2017

For the first time in 10 years, Republicans are in control of the House, the Senate, and the White House. We should be optimistic about moving a conservative agenda forward, but we have failed to keep our promise to repeal Obamacare and have followed that up by surrendering to demands of Democrats by producing a budget bill that spends more than $1.1 trillion to fund the government.

That's more than $7 billion dollars a day.

While the federal government is nearly $20 trillion in debt, I am flabbergasted that the Republican Party would promote a bill that does nothing to address out-of-control spending or deficit reduction. Worse still are the policies included in the bill.

First, Republicans continue to fund Planned Parenthood. According to the Government Accountability Office, Planned Parenthood receives hundreds of millions of dollars per year in federal funding under the guise of providing healthcare services to low-income individuals, and, according to their most recent annual report, the organization performs more than 300,000 abortions a year.

Congress should proclaim the sanctity of human life at every opportunity. This bill goes against the beliefs of a majority of Americans and continues to subsidize Planned Parenthood.

Second, the spending bill omits funding for a wall along our border with Mexico. Out of the $1.1 trillion we have committed to spending, we couldn't find even $1 billion—less than one-tenth of 1 percent—to begin building a border wall?

For Republicans, border security was a central campaign pledge. Illegal immigration costs American taxpayers billions of dollars each year, and violent criminal aliens wreak havoc on unsuspecting families in every corner of the country. A wall would not completely solve our problems, but it would be a start and would send a powerful message that we are serious about ending illegal border crossings. Like the debate over Planned Parenthood, the debate over building a border wall is a fight worth having.

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/freedom-caucus-member-andy-biggs-budget-bill-surrenders-to-demands-of-democrats/article/2622048