Costello votes for budget, but fumes over Trump tweets

WEST CHESTER » Congressmen representing Chester County split on approval of an omnibus appropriations bill that will now fund the government, as Congress gave final approval to a giant $1.3 trillion spending bill that ends the budget battles for now despite President Donald Trump’s challenges to it.

Trump, clearly dissatisfied with the bill, nevertheless signed it into law mid-Friday, clearly no fan of the sprawling spending measure, which he called “crazy” and “ridiculous.” He pinned his signa-

ture mostly on ensuring U.S. military forces have what they need. “My highest duty is to keep America safe,” he said, saying the bill got so “big” only because Democrats insisted on additional domestic spending in return for more defense dollars.

But he also delivered a warning to lawmakers, though conservative figures quickly slammed him for saying it.

Senate passage shortly after midnight averted a third federal shutdown this year, an outcome both parties wanted to avoid. But in crafting a sweeping deal that busts budget caps, they’ve stirred conservative opposition and set the contours for the next funding fight ahead of the midterm elections.

The House easily approved the measure Thursday, 256-167, a bipartisan tally that underscored the popularity of the compromise, which funds the government through September. It beefs up military and domestic programs, delivering federal funds to every corner of the country.

U.S. Reps. Ryan Costello, R-6th, of West Goshen and Pat Meehan, R-7th, of Chadds Ford, both voted in favor of the bill, while U.S. Rep. Lloyd Smucker, R16th, of Lancaster County voted against it. The three districts split the county. U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., voted in favor of the Senate version, while U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., did not cast a vote.

Asked about the veto threat in an interview Friday, Costello was dismissive.

“If the government shuts down, it would be because of one person who decided to shut it down,” he said, referring to the president. “Congress did its job. I don’t know what to do about these tweets anymore.”

Of the budget plan adopted Thursday, Costello said there were a number of “wins” in the bill for the 6th District, but lamented the fact that a piece of legislation he offered that would lower health insurance premiums in the individual health insurance market was not included in the final omnibus bill.

The bill, which Costello said had support from U.S. Sens. Lindsay Graham and Susan Collins, would have provided funding for Cost Sharing Reduction (CSRs) payments, which lower cost-sharing for many people who purchase low-deductible, highquality health insurance. These payments were terminated by the Trump Administration late last year, and Costello said he had been working with his colleagues on proposals to fund them through Congress.

“I am very disappointed,” he said Friday. He said the legislation did not make it into the appropriations bill because it included language that would have prohibited insurance funding of abortion, so-called “Hyde language,” that Democrats would have objected to but which Republicans demanded.

“I was not trying to make this into an abortion litmus test,” he said. “That was the last thing I was trying to do. But even Susan Collins, a pro-choice republican, supported the bill, so I am surprised Democrats opposed it.”

Overall, Costello said he voted in favor of the omnibus bill because “you have to keep the government open and to fund our military,” but also because it included multiple provisions be said are important to southeastern Pennsylvania.

“This legislation delivers on my commitment to build safe, healthy communities for Pennsylvania families by bolstering the federal background check process, providing resources to strengthen our schools and protect children from violence, and designating funding to combat the opioid epidemic,” he said Rep. Costello. “The bill also addresses a number of priorities for Southeastern Pennsylvania, including maintenance and rehabilitation of passenger rail along the Northeast Corridor, the restoration of the Delaware River Basin, and efforts to mitigate and control the Spotted Lanternfly, a pest affecting each county in Pennsylvania’s Sixth District.

Those initiatives included in the bill Costello cited include:

* $250 million for a program to fund capital repair and replacement projects along the Northeast Corridor rail line, a ten-fold increase from the amount appropriated last year.

* Funds for the Plant Pest and Disease Management and Disaster Prevention Program of $63.5 million, which will be used in part to address the Spotted Lanternfly, a pest that is native to Southeastern Asia and first appeared in the United States in Berks County.

* The Universal Service Fund (USF) helps support telephone and broadband networks in order to further the Commission’s goal of achieving reliable communications access at reasonable charges to all Americans. Included in the Omnibus was Rep. Costello’s legislation, the Rural Wireless Access Act, which would create standards for data collection for mobile coverage so that USF funding can be targeted to the areas that need it the most.

*Language to clarify the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) may conduct research on gun violence data and trends.

*Nearly $4 billion to address the opioid epidemic through grants, funding for addiction treatment and prevention, and providing law enforcement with the necessary tools to stop the distribution of prescription opioids and other illicit drugs.*

*Increased funding for STEM education programs, needs-specific services rendered in accordance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), after-school enrichment programs, and Career and Technical Education (CTE), and funding for teachers’ professional development opportunities.

The omnibus spending bill was supposed to be an antidote to the stopgap measures Congress has been forced to pass — five in this fiscal year alone — to keep government temporarily running amid partisan fiscal disputes.

Leaders delivered on Trump’s top priorities of boosting Pentagon coffers and starting work on his promised border wall, while compromising with Democrats on funds for road building, child care development, fighting the opioid crisis and more.

But the result has been unimaginable to many Republicans after campaigning on spending restraints and balanced budgets. Along with the recent GOP tax cuts law, the bill that stood a foot tall at some lawmakers’ desks ushers in the return of $1 trillion deficits.

Trump only reluctantly backed the bill he would have to sign, according to Republican lawmakers and aides, who acknowledged the deal involved necessary trade-offs for the Democratic votes that were needed for passage despite their majority lock on Congress. Then came the veto threat.

The Associated Press constributed to this story.

To contact staff writer Michael P. Rellahan call 610-696-1544.

Ryan Costello