In approving a $1.7 trillion spending bill last week and sending it to President Joe Biden, Congress provided a reminder of a broken system and irresponsible governance. But members also demonstrated the importance of the federal government and how collective spending benefits Americans at the community level.
Sound incongruous? It is, in a way. And the dichotomy reflects the American public’s simultaneous frustration with and appreciation for government.
Let’s start with the process that led to a last-minute agreement to keep the federal government running — a budget deal that is no budget at all. Congress long ago abandoned responsible budgeting in favor of a frequent game of chicken; when money is about to run out, elected representatives pass a continuing resolution that prevents the United States from defaulting on debts and adds funding for future projects.
The last time Congress completed all of its spending bills before the Oct. 1 start of the fiscal year was 1996. Since then, the budgeting process has become frequently the only place for members to air their political differences, leading to a process that is often held hostage.
It is, perhaps, the most obvious sign of dysfunction in the legislative branch, and it poorly serves the American public.
That, however, is the overview of the new spending bill. A closer-to-the-ground look inevitably exposes philosophical differences regarding the role of government – differences that are healthy.
The latest bill, for example, will provide funding for numerous local projects, with more than $4 million directed to Clark County. The bill will provide $2 million for Battle Ground’s Grace Avenue realignment project, improving vehicle and freight access at intersections along the city’s Main Street. It also will provide $131,000 for police body cameras in Washougal and $1 million for that city’s wastewater treatment plant. In addition, $816,000 is earmarked for Family Solutions in Vancouver to purchase expanded facility space for its behavioral health services.
As The Columbian has reported, there also is $2.17 million for Cowlitz County to improve communications for first responders and residents, $1.5 million for the city of Longview to install a new master pump water station and funding for several other projects in Southwest Washington.
Multiply those investments by the more than 3,000 counties in the United States, and it is clear to see how the omnibus bill will impact the lives of all Americans.
On top of that is $858 billion for the National Defense Authorization Act, the annual bill that funds the nation’s military.
Yet, the bill invites criticism. Matthew D. Dickerson writes for Heritage.org: “Through one manufactured crisis after another, the cycle of omnibus spending deals is one way that congressional leadership exerts its dominance over the legislative process at the expense of members who represent the majority of the American people. This is just another way in which the federal government is not held accountable to the American public.”
But the government is held accountable. It was just held accountable through midterm elections in which the public chose people to represent them beginning in January, and it is safe to say a majority of Americans would prefer that the government not shut down or default on its debts.
Instead, the omnibus bill can be viewed as an investment in which elected leaders tend to the needs of the American people. The process is flawed, but it bolsters our nation’s infrastructure and helps us prepare for the future.
