December 23, 2022

Government Funding Bill

Friend, 

Congress just passed a government spending bill that totals roughly 1.7 trillion. This bill spends 22% more on our government programs then we did last year. I voted against this massive legislative package that is being rushed through Congress in a lame duck session.

Too many families in Wisconsin are unable to afford the things they need because of excessive spending in Washington. The high cost of living is the number one issue I hear about from Wisconsin families, yet Washington continues to increase spending. Inflation is around 7%, yet this bill will increase spending by 22%. My priority is to bring down costs and have a government that's accountable. 

Congress should be listening to the will of the American people and start getting costs and spending under control. Here are a few provisions included in this package that are a part of the increased spending:

• Smithsonian Institution: $1.144 billion in spending for the Smithsonian Institution, an increase of $82.285 million over last year. Within this amount there would be funding for the Smithsonian’s 2021 Climate Change Action Plan.
• Washington DC Kennedy Center Theater: $45.380 million for the Center, a $4.94 million increase over last year
• Presidio Trust: $90 million in funding for the Presidio Trust, $50 million above last year. This is a national park right by the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco. 
• Department of Defense Climate Change and Resiliency Projects: $95 million for climate change resilience
• Electric Vehicle Fleet: $16 million in new funding to transition to a fully zero emission vehicle (ZEV) Federal Fleet. 
• Taxpayer funding for the D.C. Metro: $150 million to the D.C. Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). The President did not request funding for this account.
• Additional Infrastructure Spending: $800 million for infrastructure investments on top of the $1.5 trillion that was passed but has not yet been spent
• Additional Funding for the Internal Revenue Service: $12.3 billon for the IRS on top of the $80 billion passed earlier this year

This level of spending threatens our most critical programs like Social Security and Medicare. I'm focused on protecting these programs, which is another reason why I voted against this massive spending bill. We need to rein in spending in order to bring costs down and protect Social Security and Medicare.

As always, if you would like to share an opinion with me on Washington's spending, please don't hesitate to reply to this email, or give one of my offices a call. I wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and hope you all are staying safe and warm. 

On Wisconsin,

Bryan Steil
Member of Congress

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