Morning Jolt: Spring Is Coming, but Fiscal Conservatism Remains in Hibernation

If you consider yourself a fiscal conservative, who wishes to see lower levels of federal spending and a more open, transparent, and accountable budgeting process, then this morning is not bright and cheery. This is not a particularly good omnibus spending bill, coming after a mixed-at-best deal on the "spending caps."

It includes about half the money for the Gateway Tunnel that Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer wanted, with a few strings attached. It includes the "Fix NICS" legislation. It includes $1.6 billion for border security, including $641 million for ninety miles of fences and levees along the southern border, which is close to but not quite the president's "wall." Another $360 million to the states for "election security." A $50 million-a-year grant program for training to recognize signs of gun violence.

It adds up to $1.3 trillion, 2,232 pages, and most members of Congress were given less than 48 hours to review it.

But take a look around the Right-o-sphere, and see what's been firing them up lately. The top story on Fox News this morning is President ...

March 22 2018

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Spring Is Coming, but Fiscal Conservatism Remains in Hibernation Jim Geraghty If you consider yourself a fiscal conservative, who wishes to see lower levels of federal spending and a more open, transparent, and accountable budgeting process, then this morning is not bright and cheery. This is not a particularly good omnibus spending bill, coming after a mixed-at-best deal on the "spending caps." It includes about half the money for the Gateway Tunnel that Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer wanted, with a few strings attached. It includes the "Fix NICS" legislation. It includes $1.6 billion for border security, including $641 million for ninety miles of fences and levees along the southern border, which is close to but not quite the president's "wall." Another $360 million to the states for "election security." A $50 million-a-year grant program for training to recognize signs of gun violence. It adds up to $1.3 trillion, 2,232 pages, and most members of Congress were given less than 48 hours to review it. But take a look around the Right-o-sphere, and see what's been firing them up lately. The top story on Fox News this morning is President ... Read More Top Stories Dick's Sporting Goods Sales Sink After New Gun Policy Mairead McArdle Dick's Sporting Goods has suffered a surprisingly steep downturn in sales since promising to sell fewer guns, but the problem isn't the gun sales, Fortune says. Stock tumbled to the lowest in... Democrats Aim to Capture Key California Enclaves George Will Democrats Aim to Capture Key California Enclaves ADVERTISEMENT Our Long History of Misjudging North Korea Victor Davis Hanson There's a lot to learn from seventy years of failure to stop the Kim regimes'... Flashback: Obama Congratulated Putin on His 2012 Election Mairead McArdle Lost in all the controversy over President Trump's congratulatory call to Putin is the fact that Obama made a nearly identical call six years... Zuckerberg Apologizes for Data Breach, Promises Facebook Will Investigate Sketchy Apps Mairead McArdle In an interview with CNN, the social-media giant's CEO said he'd be happy to testify to Congress and announced plans to correct the damage from the... At the Supreme Court, California Put Its Abortion Extremism on Display David French The state claims a right to conscript the speech of pro-life... ADVERTISEMENT What NR is Reading The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger Marc Levinson "This book is dynamite. . .Marc Levinson's sparkling and authoritative story is great fun to read, but it is spectacular economic history as well." — Peter L. Bernstein, author of Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk LEARN MORE Photo Essays Cartoons of the Day: March 22nd, 2018 Cartoons of the Day: March 21st, 2018 ADVERTISEMENT Follow Us & Share 19 West 44th Street, Suite 1701, New York, NY, 10036, USA Your Preferences | Unsubscribe | Privacy View this e-mail in your browser.