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🇺🇸 Christmas Cash in Congress

🇺🇸 Christmas Cash in Congress

Plus, the return of pay phones.

December 23, 2022

POWERED BY

Good morning, and happy Friday! We'd like to wish all of our readers a Merry Christmas and happy holidays. We'll be taking a brief break this weekend, so look for us back in your inboxes on Tuesday morning. Hopefully, the next couple of days are full of family, friends, and the spirit of the season!

Plus, remember pay phones? A Philly man is bringing them back – without the pay part…

Also, headed to NYC for the holidays? This pass will allow you to see the sights and bright lights like never before…

FLAG POLLS

📉 President Biden Job Approval: Approve 46, Disapprove 51 (Rasmussen Reports)

📉 President Biden Job Approval: Approve 39, Disapprove 55 (Reuters/Ipsos)

📉 President Biden Job Approval: Approve 43, Disapprove 54 (POLITICO/Morning Consult)

📉 President Biden Job Approval: Approve 47, Disapprove 49 (Economist/YouGov)

POWERED BY SIGHTSEEING PASS

Savor the Big Apple

Traveling to NYC for the holiday season? There’s no better place to be for Christmas – and no better way to see it than with the New York Sightseeing Pass. Kick back and take in the city like you’ve never seen it before with these classic hop-on hop-off bus tours.

Uptown to downtown, landmark to landmark, explore NYC at your pace. Hop on the bus when you want to skip the subway. Hop off when you want to experience the sights, not just see them. Rinse and repeat all day - or maybe the entire week. A variety of passes are available so you can access convenient, guided transportation for the duration of your trip.

🗽 Sightseeing Pass prices are rising next year – so book today! 🍎

QUICK CLICKS

Bankman-Fried Gets Bail, Wider Weapons Shipments, Ditching the Dollar

Business: FTX founder Bankman-Fried to be released on $250M bond (POLITICO)

US: Biden fumed, dropped f-bombs as border crisis intensified, new book claims (Fox News)

World: Mossad chief: Iran could soon "widen and broaden" weapons shipments to Russia (Axios)

Pandemic: Florida high court OKs grand jury probe of COVID-19 vaccines (AP)

US: Biden administration overstated Q2 job growth by 1 million: Philadelphia Fed (NY Post)

Economy: Suddenly Everyone Is Hunting for Alternatives to the US Dollar (Bloomberg)

Weather: Airlines cancel thousands of flights as massive winter storm and bitter cold sweep US ahead of Christmas (CNBC)

US: Cassidy Hutchinson told the January 6 committee she felt pressure from Trump allies not to talk and instead risk 'contempt' (CNN)

CONGRESS

Christmas Cash in Congress

Yesterday the Senate passed a $1.7 trillion spending bill that finances federal agencies through September. The House of Representatives will vote on the package today before it can be sent to President Joe Biden to be signed into law.

Reporting from the Left: What’s in and what’s out of Congress’ $1.7T spending bill (POLITICO)

Reporting from the Right: Five eye-popping spending items in the $1.7 trillion omnibus bill (Fox Business)

From The Flag: Among other items, the 4,155-page bill will boost annual funding from about $1.5 trillion, would provide Ukraine with $44.9 billion in wartime aid, and bans the use of Chinese-owned social media app TikTok on federal government devices. Here's more from multiple angles.

RIGHT-LEANING SENTIMENT

If You Want To Understand The Swamp, Just Take a Look At This Bill

Congress is attempting to quietly and sneakily pass this bill, which includes major decisions that shouldn’t be tied to spending.
Despite insane levels of spending over the past few years, no one in Congress has a problem with this bill, including Republicans.
The questionable deal-making and crony corruption that Washington, DC is known for is clearly alive and well with this spending bill.

“The Ugliest Omnibus Bill Ever” Editorial Board, Wall Street Journal : “The 117th Congress has been the most spendthrift in history, and this week it plans to go out with one final bipartisan back-slapping hurrah—a 4,155-page omnibus spending bill that is the worst in history. This is no way to govern in a democracy, but here we are. The Members, in their efforts to disguise what they’re doing… plan to whip it through… while Americans are busy with pre-Christmas plans and before even the Members know what they’re voting on. Democrats failed in their duty to pass normal spending bills, so they are using this omnibus to finance all of government with $1.65 trillion for fiscal 2023. But wait, it’s worse. Congress is also adding major policy changes many of which deserve separate votes or couldn’t pass by themselves—from healthcare to presidential election rules to regulation of the beauty industry.”

“Even Republicans are all in on Washington's end-of-year spending spree” Stephen Moore, Washington Examiner Opinion: “Congress has approved some $5 trillion of debt spending since COVID-19 hit these shores. That's more money adjusted for inflation than Washington spent to win World War II. Worse, COVID-19 is long over, but the debt spending isn't slowing down a bit. Biden has spent at a more financially ruinous pace than any president in modern times. But even with COVID-19 long over, Congress isn't pulling back. The new pandemic in America is runaway spending debt. In a sane world, we would be searching under the sofa pillows for loose change and dollar bills to save money in bankrupt Washington. Instead, the Biden Democrats — Tweedledee — and now the congressional Republicans — Tweedledum — have struck a bipartisan secret pact not to do anything about our national addiction to red ink.”

One more opinion piece from the Right: Anonymous GOP Aide Epitomizes The Swampiness Behind Congress’s Omnibus Spending Bill Chris Jacobs, The Federalist

LEFT-LEANING SENTIMENT

The Bill Isn’t Perfect But Avoids a Shutdown – Which GOP Should Support

The bill helps fund Ukraine’s war effort, disaster aid, and the Capitol Police, but left behind cannabis companies and Afghan evacuees.
Despite massive outlays for the US military, GOP lawmakers refuse to pass the Child Tax Credit, which fights poverty and hunger.
Some Republicans prefer a government shutdown rather than passing the bill, but that’s led to poor poll numbers in the past.

“Here’s what’s in the $1.7 trillion federal spending bill” Tami Luhby and Katie Lobosco, CNN : “The sweeping package includes roughly $45 billion in emergency assistance to Ukraine and NATO allies, boosts in spending for disaster aid, college access, child care, mental health and food assistance, more support for the military and veterans and additional funds for the US Capitol Police… It also includes several major Medicaid provisions, including one that could disenroll up to 19 million people from the nation’s health insurance program for low-income Americans. … An expansion of the child tax credit, as well as multiple other corporate and individual tax breaks, did not make it into the final bill. … Neither did legislation to allow cannabis companies to bank their cash reserves… or a bill to help Afghan evacuees in the US gain lawful permanent residency. Also, there was no final resolution on where the new FBI headquarters will be located.”

“Congress just passed $858B military budget — but GOP is blocking $12B to fight child poverty” Jake Johnson, Salon : “Congressional Republicans happily teamed up with Democrats this month to authorize $858 billion in military spending for the next fiscal year, but the GOP is refusing to even consider proposals to revive the Child Tax Credit expansion that lifted millions of kids out of poverty last year—even though bringing the program back would cost a fraction of the Pentagon outlay. … The boosted CTC's expiration has pushed millions of children back into poverty and caused a significant jump in hunger… In an attempt to jumpstart negotiations, Democrats have said they would be willing to entertain a slate of corporate tax cuts that the GOP wants to enact before the end of the year. But even the prospect of delivering another major windfall to large companies hasn't proved sufficiently enticing for Republicans to suspend their longstanding opposition to government anti-poverty programs.”

One more opinion piece from the Left: The truth some Republicans don’t want to hear Patrick T. Brown, CNN Opinion

FLAG THIS

Musk’s Twitter Poll Shows People Are Overwhelmingly Against Bill

Earlier this week, Twitter CEO Elon Musk ran a poll asking “should Congress approve the $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill?”, which received over 3.1 million votes.

A whopping 71% said no, while 29% said yes.

The billionaire Musk said he favors the passage of a smaller bill to avoid a government shutdown and later said legislation would improve if lawmakers were required to actually read bills in full.

Do you support the passage of this $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill?

FLAG FINDS

Big Apple Bus Tours, Truly Cruelty Free, All The Cashback

🚌 The wheels on this bus go wherever you want to. (Well, as long as you want to go to NYC – but, let’s be real, who doesn’t?) From the Empire State Building to the Statue of Liberty, Rockefeller Plaza to Central Park, SoHo to Little Italy, these hop-on hop-off bus tours are the most convenient way to navigate and experience the Big Apple. See the sights on your time.

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WATERCOOLER

Plymouth Construction, Holiday Stress, Greek Bowie

On December 23, 1620, one week after the Mayflower was anchored at Plymouth harbor in present-day Massachusetts, construction of the first permanent European settlement in New England began. Above is the 1877 painting Landing of the Pilgrims by Henry A. Bacon.

The Conversation: How to Deal With Holiday Stress, Danish-Style

Atlas Obscura: The ‘Perpetual Broths’ That Simmer For Decades

Big Think: Not just light: Everything is a wave, including you

Today I Learned David Bowie used to travel around in New York carrying a Greek newspaper hoping people would assume he was just a Greek man who looked like David Bowie and leave him alone.

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