“D-Day” is a military term used to denote the beginning of a combat mission.
There is a new D-Day coming. Let’s call it “Decision Day” for the United States. It falls on Dec. 11. That is the day the GOP must decide if it will accept the mandate it was given by the American people to lead or if it will run up the white flag of surrender to an unpopular but stubborn president.
If you have been paying attention, then you know that this is the day the government runs out of money. The timing is awful, two weeks before Christmas when most people are busy with the holidays and have checked out politically.
This timing is no accident. The price of liberty really is eternal vigilance. There can be no liberty without the ability to control a fair portion of what we earn, which is slowly slipping away with each passing tax increase. And don’t kid yourself – if we don’t get the nation’s spending under control, more hefty tax increases are coming. It’s just a matter of time.
The start of the nation’s fiscal year is Oct. 1. That is the date the budget should have been signed, sealed and delivered. This rarely happens as Congresses prefer to kick the can down the road. The can, in this case, takes the form of a continuing resolution (CR), a plan to keep the government running for a time.
According to the Constitution, all 12 spending bills that make up the federal budget have to originate in the House of Representatives. They are then to be passed by the Senate and signed by the president. With the House controlled by Republicans and the Senate controlled by Democrats, members were unable to agree on much, so a CR was passed in September to put off these fights until after the election and obscure the final deal in the holiday rush.
It is no secret the current Republican leaders would rather whine about the out-of-control spending than fight with President Obama. They prefer to pass an omnibus spending bill (a bill that contains all remaining appropriations bills and completes the 2015 budget) with most everything on Obama’s wish list and go on to the 2016 budget next year. This is a big reason we have an $18 trillion debt.
In light of the last election, the only sensible thing to do is pass another short-term CR so the new Republican-led Congress can have a say in the process. Hopefully, there will be enough fresh, determined faces to put the brakes on. At the very least, these new lawmakers deserve a chance at the process.
President Obama has upped the ante this year by threatening to issue an executive order to “reform the immigration process” by granting amnesty to millions of people who have broken into our country illegally.
This is not immigration reform. It is lawlessness. Obama knows it, Congress knows it, and the America people know it. The only question remaining is: Will Congress go along?
The only way to stop Obama is through the budget process. If GOP leaders truly want to lead, they will call the new Congress into session early next year and be ready with a new omnibus bill that includes everything but the agencies that would be responsible for implementing Obama’s amnesty, or another CR – a short-term bill which does the same thing. Obama is unlikely to shut down the government over a few bureaucrats at the Department of Homeland Security because, in that event, all necessary law enforcement personnel would remain at their posts.
If Congress passes a complete omnibus bill now – the one pushed by Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers – it is essentially giving Obama a green light for his amnesty plan. Any talk of rolling it back at some later date is sheer folly.
A Breitbart News report published Sunday revealed that Rogers may have something to gain by giving Obama this early Christmas present.
It seems one of Rogers’ major campaign contributors, General Dynamics, is seeking the contract to print the new work permits and other immigration documents for Obama’s amnesty at its facility in Rogers’ district.
Somewhere between basting the Thanksgiving turkey and Christmas shopping, find some time to call Speaker Boehner and Senate GOP leader McConnell (congressional switchboard: 202-224-3121). Put them on notice: No long-term budget deal that funds Obama’s amnesty!
Two more years of whining just won’t cut it.
Media wishing to interview Jane Chastain, please contact [email protected].
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