On Thursday, the Senate passed $1.7 trillion spending bill for fiscal year 2023 in a 68-29 vote. 18 Republicans joined the Democrats to force the controversial bill through.
The bill will now be rushed to President Biden’s desk for his signature before Friday, the last day of current funding for the federal government.
The Republican senators who voted to pass the bill include Roy Blunt of Missouri, John Boozman of Arkansas, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, Susan Collins of Maine, John Cornyn of Texas, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Jerry Moran of Kansas, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Rob Portman of Ohio, Mitt Romney of Utah, Mike Rounds of South Dakota, Richard Shelby of Alabama, John Thune of South Dakota, Roger Wicker of Mississippi, and Todd Young of Indiana.
The news comes after a group of 13 House Republicans sent a letter to Senate Republicans urging them to oppose the massive spending bill.
“Senate Republicans have the 41 votes necessary to stop this and should do so now and show the Americans who elected you that they weren’t wrong in doing so,” the letter said.
The letter referred to the bill as “an indefensible assault on the American people.”
“It is an assault on the separation of powers,” the letter continued. “It is an assault on fiscal responsibility. It is an assault on basic civic decency. And a vote for any omnibus in the remaining days of a Democrat led government is a vote in favor of that assault. As such, we urge you to oppose this bill completely and to refrain from entertaining any spending bill that extends beyond the first few months of the 118th Congress.”
The group warned near the end of the letter, “we are obliged to inform you that if any omnibus passes in the remaining days of this Congress, we will oppose and whip opposition to any legislative priority of those senators who vote for this bill – including the Republican leader. We will oppose any rule, any consent request, suspension voice vote, or roll call vote of any such Senate bill, and will otherwise do everything in our power to thwart even the smallest legislative and policy efforts of those senators.”
