KEY VOTE: “No” on the Appropriations Minibus (H.R. 4366)

The federal government’s fiscal situation currently sits at an inflection point — we currently hold nearly $33 trillion in national debt, and the situation is only getting worse. The 2023 Fiscal Year yielded an annual deficit of $1.7 trillion – $320 billion higher than the prior year’s deficit. As a percentage of GDP, the deficit was 6.3 percent, an increase from 5.4 percent in FY 2022. Further, higher interest rates will continue exacerbating the situation by raising borrowing costs for the government. We can no longer afford to go along to get along — Congress has to take meaningful action now to change the fiscal trajectory of the country or risk catastrophic consequences. Unfortunately, this minibus appropriations package misses the moment by continuing the current spending trajectory that is leading us down the path to fiscal ruin.

During COVID-19, Congress dramatically increased discretionary spending, setting the country’s fiscal trajectory on a much higher path.

Congress should return discretionary spending to the pre-COVID trajectory by setting overall discretionary spending at Fiscal Year 2022 levels ($1.471 trillion topline). This would be an important first step towards reining in the out of control federal spending that has fueled inflation and the Federal Reserve’s subsequent interest rate increases, both of which are ruining families’ budgets and putting the American dream out of reach. But the Senate has ignored fiscal prudence and these three bills, when taken with the other nine bills marked up by the Senate Appropriations Committee, are marked to a topline of $1.59 trillion.

Making matters worse, the Senate is utilizing a variety of budget gimmicks, including counting recissions from pots of money that were never going to be spent, to raise the Fiscal Year 2024 baseline of total outlays to a level that is actually higher than Fiscal Year 2023 discretionary spending.

And that’s just the dollars and cents. On policy, these bills robustly fund the federal agencies responsible for a variety of the Biden administration’s instances of overreach without doing anything to address them. For example, it makes no attempt to block the Department of Veterans Affairs' illegal interim final rule that allows for the department to provide taxpayer funded abortions to retired service members, their spouses, and their dependents.

While we recognize that entitlement programs drive significant spending and are in desperate need of reform, Congress has no muscle memory when it comes to making smart, long-term spending decisions. That must change.

The appropriations process represents a real opportunity for members of Congress to go through the process of making the tough decisions that are required to change the nation’s fiscal trajectory. Unfortunately, this minibus represents a continuation of business as usual instead of a first step towards reform. If Congress cannot take the necessary steps to get discretionary spending under control, it has no chance to stand up to the political pressure that will come with attempts to make meaningful fixes to Social Security and Medicare in the future.

Congress should be focused on solving one of the biggest challenges facing the nation: our dire fiscal situation. Unfortunately, this minibus does nothing to right-size the federal government and put discretionary spending on a sustainable path. Senators should reject the Appropriations Minibus and work towards setting topline spending at Fiscal Year 2022 levels.