WASHINGTON, December 22, 2022 — House Republican Conference Vice Chairman Mike Johnson (LA-04) today released the following statement opposing the $1.7 trillion omnibus spending package:
“This 4,155 page, $1.7 trillion ‘omnibus’ is one of the worst government funding bills in the history of Congress.
“Instead of individual bills to fund each federal agency one by one with a roll call vote for each, all agencies have been lumped together right before the end of year deadline, with dozens of unrelated policies attached to it—electoral college changes, retirement changes, cosmetics regulation, health care policies, salmon fishing regulations, even horse racing rules. All jammed in under the guise of a ‘government funding bill.’
“The process for passing this bill is almost as ugly as the substance: written behind closed doors, released Monday overnight, and brought for a vote before anyone could possibly read it—much less debate or amend it.
“This should go without saying, but funding for each government agency and changes to each of these unrelated policies should require their own full, open debate in committee and on the floor with the opportunity to make amendments.
“My guess is that most, if not all, of these unrelated policies could not pass on their own, which is why they are being forced on the representatives of the American people at the 11th hour. This is clearly not how lawmaking is to supposed to work.
“A vote for this bill is an endorsement of the status quo, where there is no transparency, no accountability, and outright disregard for regular order. A vote against this bill is a vote to reject this shameful, broken process. For me, this is a definite No.”
Congressman Johnson is the Vice Chairman of the House Republican Conference, a member of the House Judiciary and Armed Services Committees, and a former constitutional law litigator.