Senate Republicans Vow To Block Omnibus Package

By Kyle LaFleur

Senate Republicans on Wednesday vowed to prevent Democrats from passing a gigantic budget bill that would fund the government through the end of the 2011 fiscal year.

The price tag of the 1,924 page “omnibus” bill is roughly $1.2 trillion, and includes hundreds of earmark requests that have drawn scorn from conservatives in the upper chamber.

During a press conference today, Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas), chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, and John Thune (R-S.D.) accused Democratic leaders of attempting to rush the bill through during the final days of the current lame-duck session. 

“Beyond the disrespect that the Democratic leadership is showing for the American people, there are 93 members of the House of Representatives and 16 new United State Senators who will be sworn in in January,” said Cornyn. “There is no reason, other then pure political expediency, to try to jam this bill through and deny these newly elected representatives of the American people an opportunity to weigh in on the issues that this election was all about.”

Thune blasted the bill for containing funding for pork projects such as salmon and grape research.

“Not that there is anything wrong with those things,” said Thune. “But it shouldn’t come at the expense of bankrupting the country.” 

Both Cornyn and Thune have been called into question for having several projects named in the bill, but both said by pledging to vote down the bill they could keep their promise to oppose any earmarks.  

“Well those projects were projects that were vetted,” Thune said. “I support those projects but I don’t support this bill nor do I support the process by which this bill was put together.

Thune added that he would honor a non-binding agreement passed last week by his Republican colleagues to oppose earmark spending.