Lawmakers expressed frustration with Congress’s habit of packing thousands of pages of legislation into a bill revealed just hours before a vote on its passage, as party leaders did with the coronavirus relief and government spending omnibus bill on Monday.
New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat, took to Twitter to criticize the tight timeline. The release of the bill text was delayed earlier in the day due to computer trouble.
“Congress is expected to vote on the second largest bill in US history *today* — $2.5 trillion — and as of about 1pm, members don’t even have the legislative text of it yet,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
Outgoing Libertarian Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan, a former Republican who has long criticized the modern congressional process, agreed, responding: “Amen.”
Amen.
— Justin Amash (@justinamash) December 21, 2020
Monday’s bill that combines coronavirus relief aid with government spending omnibus legislation clocks in at 5,593 pages, according to a PDF of the text posted on a House website. House lawmakers are expected to vote on the bill just a few hours after it was released.
End-of-year government spending bills in recent years become massive bills packed with other measures. Some of the measures in Monday’s bill, such as a Tibetan human rights provision, were previously passed by the House during this legislative session but never made it past the Senate or were not signed into law.
“Looks like this is going to be another ‘we have to pass the bill to find out what’s in it’ kind of vote,” tweeted Colorado Rep. Ken Buck, a Republican.
Republican Reps. Ron Wright of Texas and Warren Davidson of Ohio also chimed in.
“A few hours to review $2.3 TRILLION of government spending,” Wright tweeted. “This is no way to govern. The American people deserve better.”
“We can expect a vote on a 5,600 page bill this evening. Can anyone read 1,000 pages in an hour? Asking for a few friends on the Hill and the American people,” Davidson said.
Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona, another Republican, posted a poll on whether members of Congress should vote on the nearly 6,000-page bill without reading the full text.
Republican Texas Rep. Michael Cloud was more sarcastic. “Omnibus bill just posted — only 5592 pages to go before tonight’s vote,” he said.
The Omnibus/COVID Relief Deal that the House is voting on tonight is 5,600 pages long and Members received the bill text at 2:00 PM.
A few hours to review $2.3 TRILLION of government spending.
This is no way to govern. The American people deserve better.
— Ron Wright (@RepRonWright) December 21, 2020
