On the recordDecember 20, 2022
Mr. President, if this is winning, I am getting tired of winning. GOP leadership declared that this bill is a victory--but not unless you define victory as adding over a trillion dollars in new deficit spending. So really, there is a debate--a big debate--within the Republican Party. Which is more important? Is it more important to add $45 billion to military spending, or is it more important not to add $1 trillion in deficit to our overall debt? We now have a $31 trillion debt. We are adding over a trillion dollars a year, and yet Republican leadership says this is a victory because we are getting more military spending. But it is a victory at what expense? Are we actually more secure? Are we more safe? Is our national security more protected by spending more on the military, or is our national security actually more threatened by incurring more debt? I would argue the latter, that $31 trillion dollars in debt is the No. 1 threat to our national security. It is the week before Christmas, and, predictably, Congress is considering yet another $1.7 trillion spending bill that we haven't had a chance to see or even read. Last night, at 1:30 in the morning, the text of this 4,155-page spending spree was released. If you thought Congress couldn't possibly spend more money than it did last year, you would be wrong. The omnibus increases spending by 10 percent compared to last year's budget. You would think that nearly 2 years of 40-year-high inflation would create some hesitation.…
Source
govinfo.gov




