Sunset News: Omnibus bill 'brutally offensive' to U.S. taxpayers

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Sunday, March 15, 2009

Omnibus bill 'brutally offensive' to U.S. taxpayers

Omnibus bill 'brutally offensive' to U.S. taxpayers
Jim Brown - OneNewsNow - 3/13/2009 7:00:00 AM

A group that advocates limited government and lower taxes says the Omnibus spending bill is just what the U.S. doesn't need right now -- a massive expansion of the federal government during a time of economic recession.

Despite his promise of a bringing a "new era of accountability and transparency" to Washington, on Wednesday President Obama defended his signing of the $410 billion Omnibus spending containing nearly 9,000 earmarks. The legislation, which comes on the heels of a trillion-dollar "stimulus" bill, will increase government spending by eight percent from last year and includes hefty funding increases for welfare and public housing. The Omnibus also contains language that would eliminate the DC school voucher program.

Andy Roth, vice president of government affairs at the Club for Growth, calls the omnibus "brutally offensive" and says he hopes voters will "share their outrage in whatever public forum they can."

"The thing that's particularly offensive is that this Omnibus is coming up just a few weeks before the Congress debates the next budget, and that budget is going to grow the government as well. In fact, that budget's going to include tax increases," he points out. "So, what should be incredibly offensive to the voter is that the government is not tightening its belt. It's showing no fiscal restraint, and yet it wants to take even more money from us through higher taxes."

If Republicans had continued their filibuster of the Omnibus, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi promised to kill the bill, which would have returned federal spending to 2008 levels. However, eight Republican senators voted for the pork-filled legislation -- Lamar Alexander (TN), Kit Bond (MO), Thad Cochran (MS),

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