Washington, D.C. – On Wednesday, March 21, 2018, the text of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018 was released. On Thursday, March 22, 2018, the U.S. House of Representatives voted on the measure. The bill passed by a vote of 256 to 167. Congressman Randy Weber (R – Friendswood) voted against the bill. After the vote, he released the following statement:

“We cannot keep running our government this way. It’s unsustainable and irresponsible.

“There is some good in this bill – most notably, the relief and support we give our troops. But taken as a whole, this bill is a bad bill. It has too many aspects that are contrary to the beliefs held by many Gulf Coast Texans.

“A Republican Congress should fund border security, not so-called sanctuary cities and Planned Parenthood. Border security is critically important and must be taken seriously. By definition, so-called sanctuary cities are breaking the law. There should be consequences for that. Abortion providers should not, under any circumstances, be funded with tax payer dollars. Instead of addressing these issues though, this omnibus lets them slide through.

“We increased federal spending and grew the size of government with this bill. I could not in good conscience vote for something so lacking in conservative principles. There are measures within the bill I could have supported, which is why we need to start considering legislation on its own, individual merit. Omnibus bills are reckless and bad policy.”

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