AFA of PA ACTION ALERT
March 23, 2018
Issue:
Here’s the Rundown on the Omnibus
Details:
President Trump has signed the budget-busting Omnibus bill (HR 1625), after tweeting earlier today that he was considering a veto. “There are a lot of things that I’m unhappy about in this bill. But we were, in a sense, forced … if we want to build our military,” he said in a news conference at the White House.
Democrats, “who don’t believe in” strengthening the military, Trump explained, “added things they wanted to get the votes.”
“My highest duty is to keep America safe,” he said.
The bill includes:
• $1.6 billion for barriers along the border, but none of it for the new prototypes
• fully funds Planned Parenthood
• fully funds sanctuary cities
• $4.6 billion in total funding to fight the nation’s opioid addiction epidemic
• increases total defense spending by more than $60 billion over last year and “funds the addition of critically needed ships, planes, helicopters, tanks and submarines”
• a $12.6 million increase in congressional office budgets (this is not a direct raise for members of Congress, but their staffers and office costs)
• Head Start for preschoolers would get a $610 million boost, while an additional $2.4 billion would go for child care grants.
• More than $2 billion would go to strengthen school safety through grants for training, security measures and treatment for the mentally ill.
To give you an idea of who really won this fight: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi were “grinning ear to ear” after passage and signing of the bill.
At the news conference following signing the bill, President Trump said he would never sign such a bill again. “Nobody read it. It’s only hours old. Some people don’t even know what’s in it.”
He also urged the Senate to get rid of the filibuster rule which requires a 60 vote supermajority in order to end debate and move a bill forward for a vote. This has been a major stumbling block in advancing President Trump’s priorities. And, we must ask if the Republicans in the Senate really want to get rid of it!
Here’s the PA roll call vote:
256 to 167 (145 Republicans; 111 Democrats)
Barletta, Lou (R) — Yea
Boyle, Brendan (D) — Nay
Brady, Bob (D)– Yea
Cartwright, Matt (D)– Yea
Costello, Ryan (R)– Yea
Dent, Charlie (R)– Yea
Doyle, Mike )D)– Yea
Evans, Dwight (D)– Yea
Fitzpatrick, Brian (R)– Yea
Kelly, Mike (R) — Nay
Marino, Tom (R) — Yea
Meehan, Pat (R) — Yea
Perry, Scott (R) — Nay
Rothfus, Keith (R) — Nay
Shuster, Bill (R) — Yea
Smucker, Lloyd (R) — Nay
Thompson, GT (R) — Yea
Final vote: 65 to 32
Bob Casey, Jr. (D) — yea
Pat Toomey (R) — not voting
Action Steps
Contact your US Representative and let him know your thoughts on his vote on the omnibus bill. You can find contact info for all US Representatives from PA here
Senator Casey phone number is (202) 224-6324 or you can email him using the webform here
View this alert in our Action Center here
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