Biden Pitches Kevin McCarthy And Threats To Veto The House GOP Spending Bill

President Biden has signaled he will veto spending bills passed by Republicans full of culture war issues if they make it to his desk.

The following is the Administrative Policy Statement on the Expenditure Bill passed by the DPR:

The administration strongly opposed DPR HR 4366 passage, making appropriations for military construction, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and related agencies for the fiscal year (FY) ending September 30, 2024, and other purposes.

In May, the Administration negotiated in good faith with Speakers on bipartisan legislation to avoid first-time defaults and protect a historic, hard-earned economic recovery. These negotiations resulted in the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA) of 2023, which was passed with overwhelming bipartisan support and set spending levels for Fiscal Years 2024 and 25. The agreement kept spending on non-defense programs roughly equal to Fiscal Year 2023 levels, a compromise that protects the vital programs Americans rely on from the draconian cuts House Republicans are proposing. The agreement also protects historic legislative achievements from the past two years, including the Reducing Inflation Act (IRA), Respect our PAK Act 2022, the CHIPS and Science Act, and the Infrastructure Investment and Works Act (Bipartisan Infrastructure Act).

House Republicans had the opportunity to engage in a productive bipartisan appropriations process, but otherwise, with more than two months to go before the end of the fiscal year, wasted time on partisan bills that slashed domestic spending to far-reaching levels under FRA agreements and jeopardized essential services to the American people. These levels will result in major reductions in climate change and clean energy programs, essential nutrition services, law enforcement, consumer safety, education, and health care.

This bill includes billions in additional cancellations from IRAs and other important pieces of legislation that would result in unacceptable harm to clean energy and energy efficiency initiatives that lower energy costs and are important investments in rural America.

The bill also includes many new partisan policy provisions with devastating consequences including undermining access to reproductive health care, threatening the health and safety of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex (LGBTQI+) Americans, endangering marriage equality, hindering critical climate change initiatives, and preventing the Administration from promoting diversity, equality, and inclusion.

The Administration stands ready to engage with both chambers of Congress in a bipartisan appropriation process to enact a responsible spending bill that fully funds Federal agencies in a timely manner.

If the President were given HR 4366, he would veto it.

Kevin McCarthy Picks Another Fight With Biden That He Won’t Win

The Senate had said the spending bill passed by Republicans was dead on arrival, so the administration’s policy statement pushed the message that the spending bill Republicans were squandering in the House was dead like a door nail. House Republicans are in session for another week before they go out for the full month in August. Speaker McCarthy can use the time to draft a bipartisan bill that will fly through Congress. Instead, he passed a bill that failed and put Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on the conference committee to negotiate the final bill.

House Republicans learned nothing from their debt limit defeat, and are stumbling into yet another confrontation with President Biden that they will not win.

Jason is the managing editor. He is also the White House Press Pool and Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor of Political Science degree. His postgraduate work focuses on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Professional Awards and Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association