The massive $1.5 trillion omnibus spending bill currently being debated in Congress contains tens of millions of dollars in spending on programs meant to benefit political adversaries abroad and has been widely criticized by conservatives who say that the legislation is packed full of items on the Democrat Party’s progressive wishlist.
The bill, which is over 2,700 pages and was released Tuesday night, provides tens of millions of dollars to programs that appear to benefit Venezuela and Russia, who are currently in the middle of a global oil crisis generated by Russia’s unprovoked invasion of neighboring Ukraine.
“Of the funds appropriated by this Act under the heading ‘Economic Support Fund’, not less than $40,000,000 shall be made available for democracy programs for Venezuela,” the bill states.
The bill also calls for $6 million in spending on an international leadership fund that includes money going to Russian participants “engaging in free market development, humanitarian activities, and civic engagement” but will “not be used for officials of the central government of Russia.”
The bill provides just under $10 million for improving television and radio broadcasting capabilities in countries across the globe, including in communist Cuba.
“This funding, championed by Republicans and Democrats alike, supports brave civil society leaders and human rights activists in Venezuela who are opposed to the Maduro regime,” a House Appropriations Committee spokesperson told Fox News regarding the Venezuela funding. “This investment is consistent with House Democrats’ support for democracy and human rights around the world.”
In a statement released on Wednesday, the Heritage Foundation slammed the bill for its spending priorities and called on Republicans to oppose it.
“The bill is loaded with the Biden administration’s radical progressive policies,” the foundation said. ” It fails to reverse the COVID-19 emergency or the Biden administration’s vaccine mandates, as conservative leaders have called for, and instead adds even more emergency COVID-19 spending. It would increase annual funding for the IRS to $12.6 billion. It doubles down on the Green New Deal style government subsidies for green energy and climate policies, such as ‘a historic level of funding’ for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). It also includes more than $4 billion in Congressional Direct Spending, or earmarks.”
Story continues at: More money for our enemies
