This bill (H.R. 1158) would provide $860.3 billion in discretionary spending for four of the 12 fiscal 2020 appropriations bills: $695.1 billion for the Defense Department; $68 billion for the Homeland Security Department; $73.2 billion for the Commerce and Justice Departments and science and related agencies; and $23.8 billion for the Treasury Department, Internal Revenue Service, and other agencies. Here are some highlights of some of the unconstitutional programs hidden within this super-sized appropriations bill: $70.7 billion in overseas contingency operations funding, primarily for the ongoing, undeclared war in Afghanistan and other counterterrorism operations; $22.3 billion for the unconstitutional Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); $17.4 billion in unconstitutional disaster relief funds; and $3.28 billion in unconstitutional federal funding for state and local law-enforcement activities.
The Senate passed H.R. 1158 on December 19, 2019 by a vote of 81 to 11 (Roll Call 428). We have assigned pluses to the nays because many programs within this defense-related minibus are for unconstitutional purposes, and in light of a $26 trillion national debt and a $3.8 trillion budget deficit, this jumbo-sized appropriations bill is also fiscally irresponsible.
