OPINION: Stick to the issue at hand
Aug. 3—Congress has recessed for August, leaving for summer break without distinguishing a path on how the federal government will be funded. That likely means that in a few months, we'll get to revisit our not so favorite annual game of "Will there be a shutdown?"
Even more frequent than the Russian Roulette version of debt ceiling semantics is the unpopular practice of attaching unrelated items onto legislative bills, or refusing to vote on the actual issue at hand unless concessions are made on other topics. It truly is the most bipartisan facet of federal governing, and it should come to a screeching halt.
The most egregious current example is that of Sen. Tommy Tuberville. The Alabama Republican with no military experience is stalling promotions for over 250 service members because he doesn't believe the Defense Department should allow paid leave for abortions.
His qualm with the Defense Department isn't up for a vote. Tuberville is playing politics with national security over an issue that's not on the table. Don't want the Defense Department funding paid leave for abortions? Author a bill, get co-sponsors and get it passed. If you can't do that, move on.
Democrats are also familiar with this game. They set a record for procedural delays when asked to vote on former President Donald Trump's nominations, refusing to do their jobs because they didn't like the results of the 2016 election.
Such acts often draw praise from diehard partisans, but the actions are more cowardly than courageous. It's similar to a kid who steals the ball and runs home because he didn't get picked to play.
Let us also consider earmarks and questionable spending. Love or hate the Kentucky Republican, Rand Paul's annual Festivus report on wasteful federal government spending is eye-opening. From spending millions on injecting beagles with cocaine to wasting pandemic relief funds for building turf high school football fields, Paul unveiled some more doozies last December. His report shows that Congress isn't paying enough attention to the funds it approves, and we ultimately pay the price.
Bills should be considered on their own merits. If a Senator wants to earmark funds for a pork barrel project, it should require an up or down vote. No attaching it to a larger spending bill — own up to your request.
Quit burying unneeded expenditures in the budget.
If one party doesn't want the other choosing cabinet members and executive positions, win the election.
Backroom deals and hijacking government operations build further distrust and disenfranchisement among the electorate. Manipulating the system is bad politics and bad governance, regardless of the issue.
