Proposals for Democrats’ omnibus spending bill to fund the government through 2023 would grant millions to left-wing organizations and institutions.
Every year, Congress must pass legislation to set spending levels. Failure to do so can result in a government shutdown, an outcome that costs the economy millions.
To avert shutdowns, lawmakers have two options: pass a so-called “continuing resolution,” (CR), which carries over spending levels set out in the previous year’s spending package, or to pass a new omnibus spending package.
Often, these omnibus bills are used as vehicles for lawmakers to allocate taxpayer funds to causes, issues, and organizations they consider important. Democrats’ proposal for the fiscal year (FY) 2023 budget is no different.
Race, Sexuality Orgs Win Big
Organizations focused on racial, sexual, and gender issues stand to win big from the appropriations bill if passed.In the same strain, Zora’s House calls itself “A community for women and non-binary people of color committed to transforming themselves and the world around them.”
Even more is granted to the “American LGBTQ+ Museum,” a New York City museum—$3 million.
The so-called museum, while it has plans to open physical locations at an unspecified future date, currently operates entirely online.
According to its mission statement, “The American LGBTQ+ Museum preserves, investigates, and celebrates the dynamic histories and cultures of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people, as well as those of the emergent and adjacent identities among our communities. Using exhibitions and programs, we seek to advance LGBTQ+ equality through the lens of social justice movements, including, but not limited to, race, gender, class, immigration, and disability.”
In a line reminiscent of the rhetoric of Karl Marx and his adherents, the museum writes, “We envision a world in which all people work toward and experience the joy of liberation.”
“We envision an antiracist education system that recognizes identity and human connection as central to the process of teaching and learning where all young people build the knowledge and skills they need to thrive in the world,” the group writes in its mission statement.
Specifically, the group “[works] directly with schools, organizations, and communities to develop and implement antiracist strategies to advance equitable learning outcomes for all students.”
In an emailed press release, the Heritage Foundation dismissed the organization as one formed to “indoctrinate teachers” with left-wing ideology.
The appropriations don’t end there.
An additional $2.4 million would be granted to San Diego Community College. Half of this funding is set to go to “LGBTQIA+ Pride Centers” while the other half is appropriated for “Dreamer Resource Centers.”
“Dreamer” is a term used to refer to those protected by President Barack Obama’s controversial Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA program. Though the measure remains in place, “dreamers” are legally considered illegal aliens, and Republicans have long sought to end the program, undertaken via executive action rather than through Congress.
The $1.2 million granted for the “Dreamer Resource Centers,” then, would mean using taxpayer dollars to fund organizations helping those in contravention of federal law.
Additionally, Democrats’ spending bill would grant $3 million for water infrastructure in a part of Alaska that is so sparsely populated that the $3 million appropriation is the equivalent of $44,000 per resident.
David Ditch, a senior policy analyst for Heritage, discussed the proposed earmarks in an interview with The Epoch Times, and he emphasized that these are not merely cherry-picked radical proposals, but are instead proposals that have already gotten the approval of the House Appropriations Committee.
Bias
Ditch noted that while the bill would grant millions to left-wing causes, there are no equivalent appropriations for “blatantly conservative groups.”In contrast to the appropriations granted to groups pushing overtly left-wing ideology, Ditch said, “I do not see funds being dedicated to just blatantly conservative activist groups.”
In part, Ditch said that this is attributable to the lack of similar activist work by conservative groups.
“There’s a network of left wing nonprofits doing a variety of things across the country, in many cases relating to the LGBT community, in some cases, relating to sort of race-based or race-focused activism,” Ditch said.
‘Corrosive’
Many of the issues funded by Democrats’ proposals, including issues related to race and sexuality, remain highly controversial among members of the American public. Ditch argued that these issues are “corrosive,” and should be left out of spending bills.The appropriations set out in the bill, Ditch mused, “is Democrats’ way of saying ’regardless of whether you agree with these groups and their mission, we’re going to force the American public to fund them.'”
“It’s one thing to have earmarks for affordable housing in different parts of the country, or interest rates, or different types of infrastructure,” Ditch said. “These are things [that] have lots and lots of historical precedent.”
But in recent years, Ditch said, left-wing interests have increasingly taken advantage of earmarks to push overtly political goals on issues that are far from settled in the public conscience.
“I’m seeing more and more of an aggressive push to fund left left-wing groups that have a very clear political agenda or that are directly linked to the political and social agenda of the left,” Ditch said. “I think that type of funding isn’t just wasteful and inappropriate: it’s corrosive, frankly.”
Will It Pass?
The fate of the omnibus package hinges largely on choices made by the U.S. Senate.In the House, where Democrats still have the majority, it will be a breeze to pass the package. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) will only need the support of a simple majority to advance the package.
However, the Senate has different rules.
In the upper chamber, almost every single bill—with very few exceptions—must first overcome the 60-vote filibuster threshold. This vote, known as cloture, is necessary for a bill to move to the floor for a final simple majority vote.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), leader of the Senate GOP caucus, has indicated that he’s theoretically open to working with Democrats to pass an omnibus bill before the Dec. 16 deadline.
“We’re at a pretty significant impasse,” McConnell told reporters on Tuesday. “Time is ticking. We have not been able to agree on a top line yet, and I think it’s becoming increasingly likely that we might need to do a short-term CR into early next year.”
Either way, the clock is ticking for lawmakers to avert a government shutdown, which will begin after Dec. 16 if no compromise is struck.