Officials need time to read before casting votes

$1.3 trillion spending package was 2,232 pages long

On Friday, President Trump signed a $1.3 trillion spending measure, averting yet another looming government shutdown.

However, in a statement afterward, he brought up an interesting point.

“But I say to Congress …I will never sign another bill like this again — I’m not going to do it again — nobody read it, it’s only hours old,” Trump said.

He brings up a troubling issue. This spending package is dealing with $1.3 trillion of taxpayer money.

According to the Associated Press, that includes $1.6 billion for a border wall and improvements to the existing border wall with Mexico. There are also budget increases to a variety of federal agencies such as the National Park Service, the National Institutes of Health, and the military.

The AP notes that the bill stood a foot tall at some lawmakers’ desks. It’s a massive 2,232-page omnibus spending package.

Personally, I can read very quickly, but 2,232 pages of budget content is no light read. I can’t imagine anyone whipped right through it. This isn’t the new Stephen King thriller. It’s an omnibus spending package that has the potential to impact every corner of America.

The Washington Post reports that, “Lawmakers of both parties seethed, saying they had scant time to read the mammoth bill, which was released less than 17 hours before the House voted.” And yet, the Senate passed the bill 65-32, 12 hours after the House passed it 256-167.

Out of those 520 members of Congress, it would be fascinating to see who actually took the time to read the bill in its entirety before voting, and who actually knew, from cover to cover, what was inside.

And let’s pause on that for a moment. These members of Congress — which actually total 535 voting members — are entrusted to make decisions on behalf of a country of roughly 327 million people, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. In this case, they are handling $1.3 trillion. Did they have time to read it?

Party officials on both sides of the aisle, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) celebrated the bill, so perhaps some good will come of it.

But as we’ve seen time and again, the devil is often in the details. Only time will tell if this spending package is a success.