December 23, 2022

Friends, 

I hope you and your family are well! I wanted to provide you with a few updates regarding what’s going on –

Opposing the Omnibus Package

The 4,155-page, $1.7 Trillion omnibus spending package has been the main legislative item of the week. I actively discouraged Senate Republicans from voting for the package, but ultimately they approved it by a vote of 68-29. The bill then came over to the House, where I voted NO. Unfortunately, the bill still managed to pass by a vote of 225-201 and now heads to the President.

Since 1954, control of the House of Representatives has flipped between parties five times. In not a single instance has Congress passed a lame-duck omnibus before the new majority takes power. There was no reason for the Senate to change that tradition this year.

Quite frankly, the content of this omnibus package is absolute garbage. The most telling aspect of it is the more people learn what's in it, the less popular it becomes. That's why it was crafted in secret behind closed doors and released around Christmas when they hoped the public wouldn't pay attention.

From my perspective, the bill is only a "victory" for politicians who want to spend money. If you're someone who believes in fiscal responsibility or that the legislative branch should use spending authority as a check on the excesses of the Executive Branch, you're going to hate this bill.

For starters, it spends $134 billion over last year's "discretionary" spending levels. That's $134 billion or a 9% spending increase on just the traditional day-to-day funding of the government. This is in addition to the trillions in one-time spending that was pushed through on a purely partisan basis through the reconciliation process over the past two years, and doesn't include "mandatory" spending like the hundreds of billions we spend a year on paying interest in our national debt.

The Democrats' spending spree was going to trigger a round of automatic spending cuts that we were going to have to deal with next Congress. This would have also given us another opportunity to fight to undo some of the inflation-driving government spending damage pushed by the Biden Administration. But this bill pushes off the automatic cuts, depriving us of another chance to cut spending next Congress.

Not to mention, The Heritage Foundation projects that the total package would increase the 10-year deficit by $2.65 trillion, or $20,000 per household. 

There's a lot more I can and will say about this bill, but let me conclude by saying this: I don't see any policy wins for Republicans in this bill. Instead of a fiscally-responsible spending bill, the package we have seems more like a massive vanity project for a bunch of lame-duck Senators who are no longer accountable to the people who elected them.

I will continue to fight back against reckless spending and promote common sense policies every chance I get. 

Merry Christmas to South Carolina! 

Despite all the disappointing news on the omnibus bill, I wanted to wish you all a very Merry Christmas season and hope you all have a blessed day celebrating the Birth of Jesus Christ with your loved ones. Click HERE for a Christmas video message from me to you and yours.
 
Isaiah 9:6 "For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

Important Headlines

Upstate SC braces for arctic front. What you need to know to stay safe.

South Carolina cold shelters prepare for frigid weather.

Senate passes $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill.

Dems' massive spending package earmarks billions of dollars for 'environmental justice,' climate crisis.

Jeff Duncan calls Jan. 6 panel an ‘illegitimate kangaroo court’

CBP has experienced 575,000 migrant encounters since Oct. 1, agents remain overwhelmed: sources.

Economic index falls for ninth straight month, flashing recession warning.

Winter storm leaves over one million without power ahead of holiday.

In the District

Click HERE for a list of Christmas Eve church services around the Third District this Saturday.  

With the expected freezing temperatures coming to the upstate Christmas weekend, Oconee County Emergency Services announced they will be opening a temporary warming shelter for anyone in the area who needs a warm place to sleep. It will be located at the Seneca Church of God of Prophecy and will be open from 7 a.m. on December 23 through 9 a.m. on Monday, December 26.

As South Carolina prepares for potential winter weather over the Christmas weekend, the SCDOT said crews have started preparing roads around the state to prevent ice and potential snow from building up.

It is an honor to serve the Third District of South Carolina. Should you or your family need assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact my office directly. I wish you all a blessed Christmas!