Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah and three other GOP senators delivered a letter to Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky this week. In the letter, the senators reiterated the need for a short-term Continuing Resolution that will only cover federal government funding through early January — shortly after the Republican-controlled Congress convenes.
Other GOP senators who signed the letter include Rick Scott of Florida, Mike Braun of Indiana and Ted Cruz of Texas.
The Republican senators wrote, “The undersigned stand with the voters. We believe it would be both imprudent, and a reflection of poor leadership, for Republicans to ignore the will of the American people and rubber stamp an omnibus spending bill that funds ten more months of President Biden’s agenda without any check on his reckless policies that have led to a 40-year high in inflation.”
The letter continued, “Since taking office, President Biden has overseen a $4.8 trillion increase in the national deficit, costing the average American household an estimated $753 more a month. It should be up to the new Congress to set spending priorities for the remainder of this fiscal year.”
“Now is the time for Republicans to get serious about leading America towards a better future. The current Continuing Resolution funds the federal government through December 16, 2022. We must not accept anything other than a short-term Continuing Resolution that funds the federal government until shortly after the 118th Congress is sworn in. No additional spending, no additional policy priorities should be included. Any urgent items that require the Senate’s attention should be considered separately and under their own terms,” the letter concluded.
McConnell: “Widespread agreement” that spending package needs to pass
McConnell said there was “widespread agreement” among leadership in both parties that an omnibus spending package should be passed in December. The minority leader’s statement prompted pushback from conservatives, who prefer short-term measures over any larger-scale spending packages.
On the same day, Senator Scott had an op-ed published in the Washington Examiner that criticized Republican leadership for “caving” to the Democrats spending demands.
“I ran for Senate leader because the current plan of routinely caving in and allowing Schumer and Biden to win must stop and because we must become a party with a plan to rescue America,” wrote Scott.
The senator from Florida added, “Everyone says compromise is crucial in Washington. That’s fine. But, it’s about time we stop compromising our principles and start making the Democrats compromise theirs.”
