EDITORIAL: Ludicrous criticism of federal spending bill is a window on the GOP's meltdown

Jan. 5—Here's some of what Rep. Claudia Tenney, who represents part of Niagara County, derides as "the Democrats' socialist spending spree":

—$750,000 for Niagara University to establish science labs and classrooms at the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.

—$900,000 to realign and extend a taxiway at Niagara Falls International Airport.

—$1.4 million for the Academic Innovation Hub at Niagara University.

—$2 million for advanced radiation technology at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center.

—$2 million for a combined wastewater treatment plant in the Town of Concord.

There's more, but you get the idea. Tenney, a Republican representing the 24th Congressional District, thinks this kind of spending qualifies as socialism. Rep. Elise Stefanik of the North Country is no better. The No. 3 House Republican since the party spat on the patriotism of former Rep. Liz Cheney, Stefanik declared the new federal spending bill to be part of Democrats' "radical agenda." No wonder the new Republican House is in such disarray.

Most Republicans voted against the bill. Among the more thoughtful party members who supported it were Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and, closer to home, now-former Rep. Chris Jacobs, R-27th District.

It's not that the bill demanded effusive and unconditional support from all sides; legitimate criticisms are always possible. Jacobs offered one that has long been appropriate, no matter which party is in control: "This is no the way we should run things: a 4,000-page document that comes to us at the last minute." He's right. The system should work better.

But Jacobs also recognized a fundamental issue: "Certainly there's going to be things in there that I'm not thrilled about, but I believe we have an obligation to keep government running."

What a concept: A congressman — one part of an organization with 434 other voting members — recognizes that he might not get everything he wants in a spending bill serving a population of some 338 million people. It's what used to be called normal.

That's what is so unfortunate about comments such as Stefanik's and Tenney's. It's not just that they had objections, but they had to dress them up in the foppish finery of partisan ostentation, while ignoring the essential point.

It's not uncommon for politicians to grab an easy "no" vote when they think it will serve their partisan purposes, of course. It was obvious that the bill was going to pass and that government would be funded, so Tenney, Stefanik and others could vote against it and stand in the false glow of ideological purity.

For the record, Rep. Brian Higgins, D-Buffalo, and Democratic Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York voted for the measure.

Was it all too much money? Maybe. At a total of $1.7 trillion, it was certainly a lot. Could it have been better? Absolutely. But elections matter. Congress — though it's hard to tell right now — also matters. Funding the government cannot be an option, especially when it drags in the issue of paying the nation's debts — bills that have been incurred by members of both parties in both chambers of Congress.

Congress recently experimented with abolishing earmarks — the spending that allows for such efforts as helping to preserve First Presbyterian Church at Buffalo's Symphony Circle. But it was unsustainable in so large and diverse a nation.

Some call the system back-scratching: I'll vote for your project if you'll vote for mine. That's a part of it. As conservative columnist George Will observed in 2021, earmarks are the grease that lubricates Congress's gears. The machine sometimes turns out unfortunate results, it's true, but it also builds relationships and gets things done. It allows for governance.

It's a shame that Tenney, Stefanik and most other Republican House members didn't have the good sense that Jacobs showed with his vote and his observations. New Yorkers — and all Americans — deserve better.

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