Biden Seeking Billions to Pay for His Border Disaster
With no end in sight, you better open your checkbook for migrants expecting a free ride
By Andrew R. Arthur on December 8, 2022
The U.S. government is running out of money, as a continuing resolution (CR) temporarily funding federal operations — passed on September 30 — is due to expire on December 16. Republicans will take over control of the House in January, and many in the GOP are calling for a short-term CR in lieu of a full-year “omnibus” budget that will give the party more control over spending in FY 2023. While all that’s going on, the White House wants billions to paper over its border disaster, which has no end in sight.
“Power of the Purse”. The Founding Fathers laid out a map Congress still follows in funding the federal government, and gave the House of Representatives an outsized role in the process.
Among Congress’ enumerated powers in Article I, section 8, clause 1 of the U.S. Constitution is the “Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States”, commonly known as the “Spending Clause”.
Then, there is Article I, section 8, clause 7, which states, in part: “No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law”. Thus, even if the executive branch has some extra cash lying around, it cannot spend it except in accordance with appropriations made by Congress.
Next is the “origination clause” in Article I, section 7. It provides: “All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives”. That has been interpreted to mean that all spending bills must arise in the House, as well, and it’s not for nothing that James Madison wrote in Federalist No. 58:
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