Republican lawmakers savage spending bill as Mike Johnson defends it: 'We gotta get this done'
As conservative lawmakers decry a government spending measure released at the last-minute to avert the looming prospect of a partial government shutdown, Rep. Kat Cammack quipped that conservatives should launch an OnlyFans account.
"Conservative Republicans should start an OnlyFans account considering how often we get screwed… The CR is a bad deal," the Florida Republican declared in a post on X.
GOP Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona also playfully noted that he plans to oppose the measure.
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"'Twas three days before the gov't shutdown And I’m at my desk On page 54 of this 1,547 page mess. The CR is garbage Chocked full of carnage. I’ll be a hard no I won’t stoop that low," he tweeted.
Republican Rep. Andrew Clyde of Georgia referred to the measure as the "Christmas Cramnibus" and GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, also of the Peach State, called it a "Christmas CR lump of coal."
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., also declared her opposition, noting, "I got a word for this CR: nope."
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"Many of the loudest, self-proclaimed ‘@DOGE Heroes’ in Congress will vote for the CR—even though it flies in the face of everything @DOGE is trying to fix & perpetuates the very problems Republicans railed against while campaigning this year," Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, stated in a post on X. "Then they’ll say "@DOGE will fix it!"
President-elect Donald Trump tapped Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to helm the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, an effort to root out government waste and advocate for lower spending. The duo "will serve as outside volunteers, not federal officials or employees," they noted in a Wall Street Journal piece last month.
"Pay attention to the members of Congress who have been all in for @DOGE for media attention but will vote for the short-term omnibus. They are the Swamp," Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., declared in a tweet.
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House Appropriations Committee chair Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., made arguments in favor of approving the proposal, which according to a press release, contains billions for disaster relief.
"While a continuing resolution is not ideal, this strategy ensures President Trump has a voice in shaping the final FY25 bills. Importantly, it averts a costly government shutdown that would only serve to handcuff the start of his new administration," Cole noted, according to the press release.
"At the same time, we cannot ignore the devastation caused by natural disasters across the nation," he noted. "This bill provides crucial relief for Americans recovering from these disasters, including those in my home state of Oklahoma, and also generates economic benefits for the nation. We have a responsibility to help our fellow citizens rebuild and restore, and this legislation demonstrates shared resilience and unity in the face of tragedy."
Elon Musk chimed in to render his own verdict on the proposal, giving it the thumbs down.
"This bill should not pass," he declared in a post on X.
"Ever seen a bigger piece of pork?" he asked in another post when sharing a photo of the first page of the measure sitting atop a towering stack of papers, presumably the rest of the more than 1,500-page document.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., addressed Musk's disapproval on Fox & Friends Wednesday morning, saying he had spoken to both Musk and Ramaswamy in a text. "They said, ‘This is not directed at you, Mr. Speaker, but we don't like the spending bill. I said, ‘Guess what, fellas, I don’t either. We gotta get this done because here's the key: by doing this, we're clearing the decks and we are setting up for Trump to come in roaring back with the America First agenda."