AOC Joins Boebert, Gaetz in Opposing $1.7Tn Omnibus Bill

The nearly $1.7 trillion omnibus bill was passed in the House on Friday, with Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez being the only Democrat to vote against the spending package, joining GOP Representatives Lauren Boebert and Matt Gaetz in opposing it.

The vote in the House was 225-201-1, with nine Republicans voting "yes" to the bill. Meanwhile, Representative Rashida Tlaib, a Michigan Democrat, voted "present," CNN chief congressional reporter Manu Raju tweeted Friday.

The nine House Republicans who voted in favor of the spending package include Representatives Liz Cheney of Wyoming, Rodney Davis and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Jaime Herrera Beutler of Washington state, Chris Jacobs and John Katko of New York, Fred Upton of Michigan, and Steve Womack of Arkansas, according to news outlet Roll Call.

The bill is meant to continue funding federal agencies through September 30, 2023, and avoid a government shutdown. During a floor speech on Friday that took place before the vote, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi promoted the bill and said that "this is truly a package for the people."

The spending package would boost support for veterans, provide hundreds of billions of dollars in defense funding, and provide military aid to Ukraine, among other programs. The omnibus bill was passed in the Senate on Thursday by a 68-29 vote with the help of 18 Republican senators who voted "yes."

On Thursday, Ocasio-Cortez posted to Twitter about what the omnibus bill entails and expressed her voting intentions.

"The omnibus is actually a collection of legislation that funds each federal agency (Homeland Security $ + Enviro $ + NASA $, etc). There are many agencies, so the 2nd vote was the omni w/ DHS [Department of Homeland Security], DoD [Department of Defense], Fin Services & a lot of the 'pork' leg people are objecting to (I also voted NO)," she wrote.

Meanwhile, Gaetz also said on Thursday on Twitter that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Pelosi "brought [Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky] to Congress to provide air cover for an indefensible spending bill. Ukraine gets economic development, agriculture, and border patrol. We get racial equity mandates for us here at home. I'm not sorry @LaurenBoebert and I won't stand for it."

After the vote on Friday, President Joe Biden said in a statement that "this bill is good for our economy our competitiveness, and our communities—and I will sign it into law as soon as it reaches my desk."

The bill was delayed for weeks as members of Congress disagreed over the proposals in the spending package, such as funding around immigration, which was a major issue that former President Donald Trump ranted about in a video he posted to Truth Social on Thursday morning.

In the video, Trump described the spending bill as "ludicrous" and "unacceptable," adding that it is a "disaster for our country." He also blamed the GOP for not blocking the bill and blamed McConnell for helping the Democrats pass the measure before Republicans take control of the House early next year.

Newsweek reached out to Ocasio-Cortez's press office for comment.