Congress Must Respect the Mandate of the American People and Reject Schumer’s CR Spending Disaster

As the sun begins to set on the 118th Congress, our “leaders” are preparing to pass a bloated, out-of-control spending bill in the form of a Continuing Resolution (CR) crafted by Senate Majority Leader-for-Now Chuck Schumer. As you might imagine, the CR is a gift to Democrats, special interests, and other D.C. swamp creatures, the product of a sad party looking to squeeze out a win for itself on the way out the door.

As a Schumer product, it of course flies in the face of the American people’s clear mandate delivered unmistakably in November to drain the swamp and restore fiscal discipline under a new President with control of both houses of Congress. As such, no Republican should stand for it, demanding that this lame-duck Congress respect said mandate by passing only a lean, no-frills spending bill.

Schumer’s CR is a celebration of everything voters rejected: bloated budgets, reckless spending, and giveaways to the worst elements of Washington. It hands billions overseas, including even more funding for Ukraine while ignoring the crises Americans face at home. It locks in bad policies that do nothing to fix our broken border or tackle inflation. And so forth.

And I haven’t even gotten to the shadiest part. This CR would be a major win for Big Pharma (and probably the last win that industry would be enjoying for a while). Despite the American people’s demand for reforms to lower drug prices and hold the healthcare industry accountable, this bill allows Big Pharma to maintain its iron grip on Medicare and healthcare policy. By failing to address the failures of Medicare Part D, this CR prioritizes Big Pharma’s profits over the well-being of American patients — another example of how Schumer and his allies in the swamp are working to preserve a corrupt status quo at the expense of taxpayers.

This lame-duck Congress has no business tying the hands of the incoming Republican majority. Kicking the can down the road with a bloated spending bill disrespects the election results and undermines the mandate of the American people.

The stakes could not be higher. By locking in massive spending increases and bad policies now, Republicans would lose the leverage they need in 2025 to properly clean up the Biden-era’s mess. Schumer’s plan is obvious: pass as much of the Democrats’ agenda as possible before the Republican majority can take control. If Republicans allow this, they’ll find themselves unable to tackle critical issues like border security, fiscal responsibility, and healthcare reform from the get-go, when it matters most.

The solution is clear: Congress must pass a “skinny” CR that does the bare minimum to keep the government running while preserving the new Congress and president’s leverage to address these issues their way in 2025. A clean slate is critical to advancing President Trump’s agenda and tackling the disastrous policies that Biden and the Democrats left behind. Anything less would tie the hands of the incoming Congress and undermine the very promises that brought Republicans to power.

For Republicans, the political consequences of supporting this CR could be devastating. The base is watching; it is certainly not in the mood for nonsense, nor is the incoming Trump team. Voters didn’t vote to return President Trump to the White House and deliver a Republican majority so they could continue the same swamp-feeding policies that have plagued Washington for decades.

Instead, the voters spoke loud and clear in 2024: they want a government that is accountable, fiscally responsible, and focused on real solutions — not more giveaways to Big Pharma and the swamp. Congress — Republican members in particular — must honor that mandate by rejecting Schumer’s disastrous CR and passing a responsible spending bill.