The Omnibus Bill that was passed in the Senate on Sunday was necessary and a monster of a bill with plenty of 'earmarks' because the Republicans have been playing with the Senate Health Care Reform Bill. Literally, the Omnibus Bill was necessary because of the obstructionist tactics of the Republicans. If they had spent the time seeking solutions to the nation's problems rather than increasing the problems of the USA, these would have been individual bills that could have been treated differently and reduced in cost. The entire obstructionist process the Senate Republicans are engaged in have hampered the ability of the Executive Branch and others from cutting costs. It forces such measures rather than inhibiting them.
For the 'entire' Bush years, the Republicans have strategized against the American people. They targeted the Federal Budget and divided it into 'war funding in supplements' and 'federal budget funding that included entitlements.' The entire motivation in reducing the federal budget was to bring a disproportionate amount of funding to the entitlements of Medicare and Medicaid that would set off a 'trigger' to destroy the entitlements completely. So, whether the Federal Budget was appropriately reduced in any area was not the issue, it was whether the Federal Budget was yet cut enough to destroy Medicare and Medicaid along with SSI.
The Democrats that walked the halls of the House and Senate through these destructive years did their level best to insure that imbalance would not occur. Literally, while the Federal Debt grew it was not funding our government, but, simply funding war. It is always necessary to have cuts in domestic services and to even modify domestic economies to reflect 'a nation at war,' but, to the extent the imbalance was to result in the dissolution of our entitlements was grossly inappropriate and clearly illustrates a hostile party in the Republicans.
The Federal Budget this year is not simply reflective of 'extravagance' as Democrats are always accused of as a 'stereotype' to the party, but, it strongly reflects a return of vital services and supports to the people of this country. It reestablishes the federal budget while accommodating our entitlements in 'proper balance' with Federal expenditures. I congratulate all those, including many Republicans, that found the insight to return function to our federal government through proper budget measures. It is unfortunate it had to be addressed in an omnibus bill due to obstructive measures by the Senate Republicans that wasted valuable time in regard to Health Care Reform legislation.
...The measure, a year-end package that covers about half of all federal programs (click title to entry - thank you), goes to President Barack Obama for his signature. The Senate vote was 57-35 on Sunday.
The bill includes about $650 billion in mandatory payments for federal benefit programs such as Medicare and Medicaid.
Democrats, who supplied most of the votes, say the spending increases were needed to meet the needs of a recession-hit nation.
Looming in the week ahead is a separate spending package to encourage growth in the job market.
Republicans assailed the new spending in the face of mounting federal deficits....
