Opinion

Editorial: Omnibus bill includes millions to help N.C. with items even GOP wanted

Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023 -- No legislation is ever perfect. But in this omnibus bill North Carolina taxpayers are seeing their dollars come home: helping our military preparedness, the people and families who serve our nation and our veterans; boosting local economies; fighting hunger; improving community health, housing, public education and the environment; and strengthening law enforcement and public safety.

Posted 2023-01-03T03:39:39+00:00 - Updated 2023-01-03T10:00:00+00:00

CBC Editorial: Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023; editorial #8816

The following is the opinion of Capitol Broadcasting Company

North Carolina taxpayers will see $240.7 million in money they’d sent to Washington being put to work back in this state – thanks largely to Democrats who -- after heat and badgering from Republicans -- voted to pass the $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill. President Joe Biden signed it into law just before year’s end.

Nearly $26 million in directly-designated spending is headed to the state’s three major military installations – Fort Bragg, Camp Lejeune and Seymour Johnson Air Force base. The Republicans who represent those installations voted against the bill, except for Sen. Richard Burr, who didn’t vote.

Republican Rep. Greg Murphy, whose district includes Camp Lejeune, termed the bill “a monstrous spending spree that fuels inflation and divisive gender identity politics. Americans don’t want 4,000-plus pages of left-wing projects.”

Is that what he considers the $6.6 million for school modernization, planning and design at Camp Lejeune?

Republican Richard Hudson’s district includes Fort Bragg. The bill includes more than $15.5 million to improve firing ranges, training facilities, schools and a child development center. He was happy to trash the legislation, vote to stop it and call it a “boondoggle” but gush on its help in his district.

“I am glad this spending package includes necessary funding for Fort Bragg and our military, the overall price tag of this 4,155-page boondoggle will further threaten our economy,” Hudson said.

These items didn’t magically make their way into the Omnibus bill. They are in there because members of Congress – Republicans as well as Democrats – asked for them. North Carolina’s Republicans – again all of whom but Burr voted against the bill – requested more than $107.7 million in spending in the bill (45% of the total headed into the state) as follows:

Sen. Richard Burr, R – $42,105,000
Sen. Thom Tillis, R – $16,095,000
Burr & Tillis -- $32,674,000
Rep. David Rouzer, R-7th -- $3,752,500
Rouzer, Burr & Tillis -- $8,538,867
Rep. Hudson, R-8th, Burr & Tillis -- $3,600,000
Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R-11th – $975,000

Nearly $133 million in the bill can be attributed to requests from the state’s Democratic representatives – all of whom voted FOR the bill.

Rep. J.K. Butterfield, D-1st -- $32,879,497
Rep. Deborah Ross, D-2nd -- $17,564,241
Rep. David Price, D-4th -- $26,666,393
Price & Ross -- $9,326,400
Rep. Kathy Manning, D-6th -- $25,560,388
Rep. Alma Adams, D-12th -- $20,946,200

Want to know what’s in the bill for North Carolina and who requested it? You can see an item-by-item list here.

No legislation is ever perfect. But in this omnibus bill North Carolina taxpayers are seeing their dollars come home: helping our military preparedness, the people and families who serve our nation and our veterans; boosting local economies; fighting hunger; improving community health, housing, public education and the environment; and strengthening law enforcement and public safety.

The late Republican Sen. Jesse Helms famously demanded politicians unequivocally state: “Where do you stand.”

Political posturing is easy. Seeking the spending of taxpayer dollars and then not just lacking the integrity to actually vote for the spending but criticize it is, at best, disingenuous or worse hypocritical.

As a new session of Congress begins – with changes in the partisan composition of the U.S. House, North Carolina citizens deserve politicians willing to stand up – not seek to camouflage their actions while others make the hard choices, take the heat and go on the record.

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