‘Government at its very worst’: Alabama congressmen slam $1.7 trillion spending bill

December 23, 2022

Several U.S. House members from Alabama on Friday slammed the $1.7 trillion spending bill that passed the lower chamber and awaits the president’s signature for what they claimed was full of waste and misplaced priorities.

“Passing a $1.7 trillion spending bill days before Christmas is government at its very worst. This over 4,000-page bill fails to address issues that matter most to the American people,” said U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer, R-Hoover. ”Our border is left open during a record wave of illegal immigration. Almost $4 billion is spent on energy assistance programs while Democrats continue to vilify widely available forms of energy and drive-up costs. The $800 billion aimed at non-defense spending is the highest level in the history of the nation while our country is experiencing inflation at 7.1 percent compared to last year.”

The $1.7 trillion spending bill, which includes $776 million for Alabama projects, passed the Senate on Thursday and in the House on Friday. The legislation averts a government shutdown by providing funding through the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30.

Retiring Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby, a Republican, helped broker the deal on the package as ranking member of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee. The senator was responsible for $666 million in state projects funded by the bill.

Among the Alabama projects funded in the bill is $200 million requested by Shelby, R-Ala., for the Intermodal and Terminal Expansion Project, which includes rail infrastructure and improvements in north Alabama, expansion of the Port of Mobile and intermodal and freight rail infrastructure improvements in Birmingham, among other items.

U.S. Rep. Barry Moore, R-Wiregrass, echoed Palmer’s sentiment, calling the legislation “Exhibit A of the brokenness of Washington.

“Pork spending, radical policies, and more inflation. This omnibus stuffs the stockings of every special interest group in the land, but the American people get a lump of coal,” Moore said. “This bill is Exhibit A of the brokenness of Washington. The folks we represent deserve more respect.”

Moore gave several examples of what he suggested was wasteful spending included in the bill, including · $1.2 million for “LGBTQIA+ Pride Centers” and $3.6 million for a Michelle Obama Trail in Georgia

U.S. Rep. Jerry Carl, who also voted against the bill despite pushing for $3.5 million in improvements to the Causeway, gave similar reasons for why he opposed the legislation.

“While there are some good things in the bill, there are way too many bad things for me to support it,” Carl said. “This bill spends billions of taxpayer dollars on things like beefing up the IRS and U.N., while doing nothing to secure our southern border and stop the flow of deadly drugs into our communities, ease the burden of inflation on hardworking American families, or lower the cost of fuel. These should be our top priorities, but this bill simply does nothing to address these issues.”