Smucker Statement on Omnibus Spending Bill

Press Release

U.S. Rep. Lloyd Smucker (PA-16) released the following statement after he voted against the omnibus spending bill on the House floor:

"Congress has been here too many times before -- taking government funding down to the wire, spending way too much money, and refusing to make any meaningful reforms. In fact, Congress has been in this situation 7 times since I took office in January of 2017. What's the point of having a legislative process if Congress can't take its job seriously and be good stewards of taxpayer dollars? I simply could not vote for more spending, especially with our backs against the wall.

"I support several of the provisions included in the spending bill, like funding our military, stepping up our fight against the opioid epidemic, and improving school safety -- and I've taken numerous votes to advance each of those priorities. But we can and should do those things in a fiscally responsible manner because that's exactly what the taxpayers expect. Today's legislation feeds Washington's addiction to spending instead of curbing it, and grows the size of a bloated federal government. The American people deserve better."

Background on Rep. Smucker's Efforts to Reform the Federal Budget Process

In April 2017, Rep. Smucker sent a letter to House Budget Committee Chairman Diane Black urging a hearing on comprehensive budget process reform. Additionally, Rep. Smucker introduced his own legislation to prevent government shutdowns and cosponsored three bills to provide greater accountability in the federal budget process.

Following these efforts on the House Budget Committee, Rep. Smucker introduced the Joint Commission on Budget Process Reform Act of 2018 -- legislation that would establish a bipartisan, bicameral commission to:

Study procedures on the budget and federal expenditures

Conduct at least four public hearings to examine potential reforms

Seek recommendations from economists, experts, members of Congress, federal agencies, educational institutions, state legislatures, and private organizations on ways to reform the budget process

Draft a bill to amend the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974

Submit a report to the House and Senate containing the bill it recommends and other matters deemed appropriate

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