Press Releases
Finstad Opposes Democrats’ $1.7 Trillion Spending Bill
December 23, 2022
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Brad Finstad (MN-01) issued the following statement after casting a “no” vote on the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, a massive, unprecedented, lame-duck “omnibus” spending package.
“The people of Minnesota’s First District sent me to Washington to fight for their values in Congress,” said Congressman Finstad. “A more than four-thousand-page spending bill that is filled with $1.7 trillion of misplaced priorities and record-high levels of wasteful spending is not fiscally responsible and does not align with the priorities of constituents in my district.
“Southern Minnesotans deserve better. Passing critical legislation at the last minute with fewer than forty-eight hours to review the bill is no way to govern and certainly lacks southern Minnesota common sense.”
Included in the final bill was a $410 million allocation for five Middle Eastern countries to use for enhanced border security; yet, the bill expressly restricts U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) from using any funds to hire border agents or for border security technology and capabilities. Congressman Finstad introduced an amendment that would strike these restrictions on CBP funding, saying:
“It makes very little sense that this massive spending package would allocate millions of U.S. taxpayer dollars for border security efforts in countries like Lebanon and Egypt, while simultaneously denying the same resources to Customs and Border Patrol for securing our own borders,” said Congressman Finstad.
Congressman Finstad’s proposed amendment would have eliminated restrictions on funding allocated to CBP, allowing the agency to fully use its federal appropriations to hire much-needed border patrol agents and make the necessary technology upgrades to secure our southern border. Unfortunately, Democrats in the Rules Committee blocked the measure from even receiving a vote on the House Floor.
“The people of Minnesota’s First District sent me to Washington to fight for their values in Congress,” said Congressman Finstad. “A more than four-thousand-page spending bill that is filled with $1.7 trillion of misplaced priorities and record-high levels of wasteful spending is not fiscally responsible and does not align with the priorities of constituents in my district.
“Southern Minnesotans deserve better. Passing critical legislation at the last minute with fewer than forty-eight hours to review the bill is no way to govern and certainly lacks southern Minnesota common sense.”
Included in the final bill was a $410 million allocation for five Middle Eastern countries to use for enhanced border security; yet, the bill expressly restricts U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) from using any funds to hire border agents or for border security technology and capabilities. Congressman Finstad introduced an amendment that would strike these restrictions on CBP funding, saying:
“It makes very little sense that this massive spending package would allocate millions of U.S. taxpayer dollars for border security efforts in countries like Lebanon and Egypt, while simultaneously denying the same resources to Customs and Border Patrol for securing our own borders,” said Congressman Finstad.
Congressman Finstad’s proposed amendment would have eliminated restrictions on funding allocated to CBP, allowing the agency to fully use its federal appropriations to hire much-needed border patrol agents and make the necessary technology upgrades to secure our southern border. Unfortunately, Democrats in the Rules Committee blocked the measure from even receiving a vote on the House Floor.
