"It Sucks" - Senate Passes $1.3 Trillion Omnibus Spending Bill | Zero Hedge
Description: "It sucks," Kennedy said of the spending measure. "No thought whatsoever to adding over a trillion dollars in debt."

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# "It Sucks" - Senate Passes $1.3 Trillion Omnibus Spending Bill

Despite Rand Paul and a handful of other conservative Senators's best efforts to kill it, the upper chamber easily passed the long-awaited $1.3 trillion omnibus spending bill early Friday morning - sending a bill that would lock in federal funding for the rest of the fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30, to President Trump's desk.

The final 65-32 vote resulted from a week of all-night bargaining sessions and repeated delays before the text of the 2,000+ page bill was released Wednesday morning.

Paul and other conservatives complained that the budget would've been adamantly rejected by Republicans if Obama was still in the White House. Republicans touted an $80 billion increase in military spending - which Trump touted as the largest increase in military spending ever - while Democrats highlighted an additional $63 billion in domestic spending, per Bloomberg.

Senator John Kennedy, a Louisiana Republican who opposed the bill, also hinted that he too might try to force a shutdown by delaying the vote after criticizing the vote's "price tag".

"It sucks," Kennedy said of the spending measure. "No thought whatsoever to adding over a trillion dollars in debt."

In a move that infuriated his fellow Senators, Sen. Jim Risch of Idaho almost sunk the bill after learning that it included language to name an Idaho forest for Cecil Andrus, the former Democratic governor and Carter administration Interior Secretary who died last year. Andrus and Risch were longtime political rivals, per the Wall Street Journal.

The unceasing squabbling over the bill frustrated many lawmakers, including Bob Corker, who loudly complained about the repeated delays to the vote, per Politico.

"This is ridiculous. This is juvenile," fumed Sen. Bob Corker, who asked McConnell for an explanation of why the chamber was in at midnight. "What has occurred over the last 11 hours that keeps us here voting on a bill that we all know is going to pass?"

The $1.6 billion funding for border security is far less than the Trump administration had demanded. Less than half of that money will be used to build about 33 miles of fencing and levees along Texas' border with Mexico. The White House had initially demanded $25 billion. meanwhile, Democrats won several major concession - particularly regarding immigration enforcement inside the US. The bill provides for minimal increases in funding for enforcement officers.

Democrats and Republicans also struck a compromise on control, rolling in the bipartisan "Fix NICS" legislation that will bolster reporting by federal agencies to the database for gun-buyer background checks. It also explicitly allows the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to research the causes of gun violence.

The bill also includes $21 billion for infrastructure projects and an additional $4 billion to combat opioid addiction.

One of the biggest obstacles to reaching the agreement was the status of funding for a Hudson River tunnel between New York and New Jersey. Advocates, mainly Democrats and Republicans representing the two states, argued it is one of the most important infrastructure projects in the U.S. But Trump has insisted on removing money for the project, known as Gateway, from the spending plan.

In a decision that is sure to anger commuters in a region that comprises one-fifth of the country's GDP, Trump successfully killed funding for the "Gateway" project - that is, the construction of a new tunnel underneath the Hudson River that connects New York City and New Jersey. Democratic leader Chuck Schumer - who represents New York - assured angry voters that the two states would be able to access funding equal to about half of the $900 million initially requested through Amtrak and grants that don't require approval from the Department of Transportation.

Another $75 million was allocated to train teachers and school officials to respond to attacks. It will also pay for metal detectors and other equipment, while creating anonymous systems for reporting possible threats to schools.

Funding to combat Russian interference in the upcoming midterm elections was included in the spending package, as was $600 million to build a rural broadband network, per WSJ.

As conservatives railed against the budget bill, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell described the bill as "legislation that neither side sees as perfect, but which contains a host of significant victories and important achievements on behalf of the American people." Among them, he said, are a 15% increase in military spending and funding to combat an opioid epidemic as well as a down payment toward Mr. Trump’s border wall. The National Institutes of Health and Head Start - a popular child-care program - also received more spending.

The deal is the first installment of an informal two-year spending agreement worked out between McConnell, Schumer and Trump that will lift federal spending above curbs set in 2011.

President Trump's budget director Mick Mulvaney assured reporters that the president will sign the bill - and he has all day to do so.

But while the odds that the bill will be signed into law are extremely high, conservative lawmakers are still trying to convince Trump to reject it, forcing a shutdown that would grant them more leverage in trying to force concessions from both moderate Republicans and Democrats.

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Stu Elsample Fri, 03/23/2018 - 07:02 Permalink

""""Democrats highlighted an additional $63 billion in domestic spending...

The $1.6 billion funding for border security is far less than the Trump administration had demanded. Less than half of that money will be used to build about 33 miles of fencing and levees along Texas' border with Mexico....""""

Career welfare trash and illegals win this round..

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TooBlackToFail Stu Elsample Fri, 03/23/2018 - 07:10 Permalink

Watch..Trump will get the whole fucking wall built with that dough

In reply to Welfare trash got a big pay… by Stu Elsample

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Stu Elsample TooBlackToFail Fri, 03/23/2018 - 07:15 Permalink

Stationing a well armed American patriot every 300 yards along the border, and a $1K bounty on every illegal invader carcass would be much cheaper.

In reply to Watch..Trump will get the… by TooBlackToFail

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IridiumRebel Stu Elsample Fri, 03/23/2018 - 07:21 Permalink

Can’t stop the flow of future Democrat voters

In reply to Placing an armed American… by Stu Elsample

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Four Star IridiumRebel Fri, 03/23/2018 - 07:26 Permalink

Oldest, most incumbent Congress in history:

In reply to Can’t stop the flow of… by IridiumRebel

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Four Star IridiumRebel Fri, 03/23/2018 - 07:26 Permalink

Oldest, most incumbent Congress in history:

http://thesoundingline.com/congress-the-art-of-incumbency-part-ii/

In reply to Can’t stop the flow of… by IridiumRebel

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BabaLooey TooBlackToFail Fri, 03/23/2018 - 07:38 Permalink

Fucking ASSHOLES in Congress

Mitch McConnell - fucking DIE you cunt.

In reply to Watch..Trump will get the… by TooBlackToFail

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chubbar TooBlackToFail Fri, 03/23/2018 - 07:51 Permalink

Is it safe to say that both Ryan and McConnell are traitors to the agenda of Donald Trump? Both of these assholes appear to be working diligently to thwart and oppose anything Trump is trying to do, especially immigration related.

In reply to Watch..Trump will get the… by TooBlackToFail

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Enoughalready Stu Elsample Fri, 03/23/2018 - 07:36 Permalink

Less than Scumer got for his tunnel.

In reply to Welfare trash got a big pay… by Stu Elsample

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fattail Stu Elsample Fri, 03/23/2018 - 07:44 Permalink

The corporate welfare recipients in the department of war got more funding to bomb hospitals, wedding parties, and empty runways in the middle east. Hooray for lobbyists, still the best ROI for the money. Somebody kill the dollar already, while I am young.

If trump was serious about illegals he would use that $1.6 billion on the border fence and go prosecute the "job creators" who laundering profits through their cheap foreign imported labor. Throw a couple of those traitors in prison and the illegals will self deport.

In reply to Welfare trash got a big pay… by Stu Elsample

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dogmete Fri, 03/23/2018 - 07:06 Permalink

Well good for Kennedy and Paul and any of the still-human senators who actually opposed it. This budget is criminal.

30 thousand pages of government waste.

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just the tip dogmete Fri, 03/23/2018 - 07:28 Permalink

$63bil US domestic spending = $31.5bil US sidewalk craps game + $31.5bil US political kickbacks.

In reply to Well good for Kennedy and… by dogmete

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enf83 Fri, 03/23/2018 - 07:06 Permalink

In the news

Man Kills Himself And His Children Because His Wife Enjoyed Masturbating: http://enternations.com/thread/572/man-kills-wife-enjoyed

Couple Commits Suicide After Their Parents Tried To Separate them:http://enternations.com/thread/548/couple-commits-after-parents-separate

Man dies while trying to steal from a transformer:http://enternations.com/thread/549/man-dies-trying-steal-transformer

Airport staff member get punished for being too handsome: http://enternations.com/thread/528/airport-staff-member-punished-handsome

Girlfriend saves her lover’s life by cutting his throat: http://enternations.com/thread/522/girlfriend-saves-lover-cutting-throat

Woman dies after husband uses mortar bomb as sex toy:http://enternations.com/thread/499/woman-dies-after-husband-mortar

Father Joins Son To Rape His Young Daughter:http://enternations.com/thread/445/father-joins-son-young-daughter

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Enoughalready enf83 Fri, 03/23/2018 - 07:19 Permalink

^^^^^^^^Beware^^^^^^^^

In reply to In the news… by enf83

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Agstacker enf83 Fri, 03/23/2018 - 07:50 Permalink

No 's' after that 'http'?

No thanks, go spam somewhere else.

In reply to In the news… by enf83

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saldulilem Fri, 03/23/2018 - 07:06 Permalink

Sooner or later, the math is gonna get you

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Onehundredperc… Fri, 03/23/2018 - 07:07 Permalink

The swamp just keeps getting bigger and deeper.

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JBilyj Fri, 03/23/2018 - 07:08 Permalink

This is why congress should be hung for treason. Why should we have to pay for a bridge to NYC!? The CLOUD Act eviscerated the constitutional right of due process...

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Enoughalready JBilyj Fri, 03/23/2018 - 07:23 Permalink

A bridge to Manhattan where there's a Backwards Prog Mayor that's doing everything in his power to keep Manhattan congested in order to collect tolls for driving in midtown after you pay a toll to get into the city. These fuckers are fucked up

In reply to This is why congress should… by JBilyj

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wmbz Fri, 03/23/2018 - 07:09 Permalink

Of course it "sucks", tell me what or who doesn't suck in the D.C. Cesspool?

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indygo55 Fri, 03/23/2018 - 07:09 Permalink

Stocks will soar. Short squeeze all the way.

Don't fight the FED.

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BandGap Fri, 03/23/2018 - 07:14 Permalink

Like a drunkin' sailor.

If you KNEW you were at the tipping point and it didn't matter if you were a million in debt or a hundred million in debt, and you still had your credit card, what would you do.

Talk this and that, but half this "budget" (what a fucking joke calling it that) is for defense funding. Everyone got candy to placate them, but the war boys got their toys.

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Citizen_x BandGap Fri, 03/23/2018 - 07:49 Permalink

So true. The DoD has a war to fight on "terror". Be patriotic now.

"The word terror is a noun. It is mostly an uncountable noun."

https://www.answers.com/Q/What_part_of_speech_is_terror

We are at war with a part of speech to the tune of 250 million dollars a day. Does this "terror" have a Navy? An Air Force? What's the capitol of "terror"? What's the GDP of "terror"? Where is it on a map?

If one stacks so called fake news on top of it's self...high enough...does it become fake history?

In reply to Like a drunkin' sailor… by BandGap

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dogmete Fri, 03/23/2018 - 07:15 Permalink

This budget is so bloated and wasteful even Bernie Sanders voted Nay.

Or maybe he's just being smart.

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Enoughalready Fri, 03/23/2018 - 07:15 Permalink

McConnell and Ryan have proven to be the worst two enemies of Conservatism in the Obama era which obviously is still rolling along

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ZENDOG Fri, 03/23/2018 - 07:17 Permalink

Is Mitch McConnell still alive?

WTF?

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cossack55 ZENDOG Fri, 03/23/2018 - 07:22 Permalink

Brain dead but criminality and corruption straddles the Styx

In reply to Is Mitch McConnell still… by ZENDOG

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Enoughalready ZENDOG Fri, 03/23/2018 - 07:28 Permalink

No , he's still alive and killing The US. He's done more harm to America than any other Republican in my lifetime. McCain is a close second but mc has more power. Tuck them both with Ryan's cut off cruellar

In reply to Is Mitch McConnell still… by ZENDOG

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Cesare de Borgia Fri, 03/23/2018 - 07:18 Permalink

"well as a down payment toward Mr. Trump’s border wall."

Build it already!

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GotAFriendInBen Fri, 03/23/2018 - 07:18 Permalink

"It sucks...

But I won't be around long enough to have to pay for it"

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Smerf Fri, 03/23/2018 - 07:23 Permalink

Old people start acting like children as they lose hold of their mental capacities. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), born June 22, 1933.

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prymythirdeye Fri, 03/23/2018 - 07:27 Permalink

They are all criminals. When are people going to get that through their thick-ass heads?

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Enoughalready prymythirdeye Fri, 03/23/2018 - 07:31 Permalink

They don't give a fuck what they are...as long as they're in power and nesting for their spawns

In reply to They are all criminals. … by prymythirdeye

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Robert Trip Fri, 03/23/2018 - 07:29 Permalink

$80 billion for the "military" and $20 billion for infrastructure repairs and maintenance plus funding new projects.

A little on the generous side for infrastructure spending I must say.

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SmallerGovNow2 Fri, 03/23/2018 - 07:30 Permalink

Fuck 'em all...

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notfeelinthebern Fri, 03/23/2018 - 07:30 Permalink

Another example of broken government and the failings of our political system. Nothing will ever fix this bitch.

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J J Pettigrew Fri, 03/23/2018 - 07:30 Permalink

Let's all chip in for a tunnel in New York .....

anyone remember the disaster of the Big Dig in Boston?

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1 Alabama J J Pettigrew Fri, 03/23/2018 - 07:50 Permalink

no one is better at creating hard core disasters like us.

In reply to Let's all chip in for a… by J J Pettigrew

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silverer J J Pettigrew Fri, 03/23/2018 - 07:55 Permalink

China built more roads in the last five years than what was built in the US in its entire history. You seem to totally get that the infrastructure thing in the US is just another boondoggle to loot. 1/3 of the money for new roads typically goes to lawyers to fight the frog protecting environmentalists. US based communists are the ones filing the lawsuits. It's done on purpose to take the US out. The US is now at the top of the first big hill on the roller coaster, ready to go down, and will never get to be that high again. For many decades, it was the US turn to be top dog. Now it's somebody else's turn.

In reply to Let's all chip in for a… by J J Pettigrew

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pparalegal Fri, 03/23/2018 - 07:32 Permalink

Don't let the Republican numbers fool you, the fix was in. They will never slow the future enslavement of America's unborn or close the border. And you thought things changed after gettig rid of Boehner. Are the slow learners wising up to Mitch McConnell and the me-too gang yet?

The royal fine dining, pedicures and limo rides on tax payer dollars are just too much to pass up.

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Rikky Fri, 03/23/2018 - 07:37 Permalink

America's "leaders" crossed the rubicon a long time ago, the rest is just fill in. What did we think we were going to start getting all fiscally conservative after being $21 trillion in debt?

Anyone see the pork put in for a minor league baseball team?

Nero fiddles while Rome burns. They're all traitors to the American people.

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VladLenin Fri, 03/23/2018 - 07:43 Permalink

Americans sure love their sodomy.

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silverer Fri, 03/23/2018 - 07:46 Permalink

Hey, how about another round of QE and expanded welfare, free college, free housing, free opiods, and free television sets to help guide the population? It's all been working so well.

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bigloser Fri, 03/23/2018 - 07:49 Permalink

As a whole, congress is simply a cesspool of corruption, a place to which only the best grifters gravitate.

Congress has done next to nothing of benefit to the general public in my lifetime, and I'm 64.

I've come to the point in my life that I mostly ignore them since there's no way to stop their foolhardy foibles. I dislike the whole lot of them, with the exception of maybe a few, like Rand Paul, but the likes of McCain and Schumer paint an ugly face (to say nothing of the hideous Mrs. [Franken] Feinstein) on the lot of them.

A pox on the House... and the Senate.

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hoist the bs flag Fri, 03/23/2018 - 07:52 Permalink

trillion here, trillion there. who cares anymore?

Ctrl +P baby

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overmedicatedu… Fri, 03/23/2018 - 07:53 Permalink

one glimmer of hope..this is not a budget bill, but it is a spending bill..some smart folks say Trump has discretion as to how to or not spend as he sees fit..judges at the 9th circuit will be very busy ..as progressives scream if Trump uses his discretion to use the money his way.

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paint it red c… Fri, 03/23/2018 - 07:57 Permalink

I cannot help but to believe omnibust will blow up in dem and rhino faces..........

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