Texas Runaway Stunt Coming Back to Haunt Democrats Already as GOP Senator Threatens to Do the Same
Now that Democrats have embraced running away from votes when they might not like the outcome, one Republican U.S. senator says maybe it is time to embrace the adage that turnabout is fair play.
Last week, Texas Democratic legislators confronted with an election integrity bill that did not serve their interests fled Texas for a four-star hotel in Washington. The tactic denied state Republicans the quorum necessary to pass the election reform bill.
During an appearance Sunday on the Fox News show “Sunday Morning Futures,” South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham told host Maria Bartiromo he would do the same when confronted with the Democrats’ $3.5 trillion spending plan.
“Before Republicans beat up on the Democrats in Texas for leaving Texas too much, if for some reason they pass reconciliation, a budget resolution to bring that bill to the floor of the United States Senate, the $3.5 trillion bill, you’ve got to have a quorum to pass a bill in the Senate — I would leave before I’d let that happen,” Graham said.
“To my Republican colleagues, we may learn something from our Democratic friends in Texas when it comes to avoiding a $3.5 trillion tax and spend package: Leave town,” he said.
When Bartiromo asked if he really would do so, the senator said, “Hell yeah, I would leave. I would use everything lawfully in my toolbox to prevent rampant inflation.”
Democrats plan to ram the laundry list of Democratic priorities through the Senate through a process known as reconciliation. That means that unlike most other bills, the measure can move forward with a simple majority vote. Because the Senate is split 50-50, assuming Democrats keep all of their senators in line, the bill could pass with a tie-breaking vote from Vice President Kamala Harris.
Graham said that a $950 billion infrastructure plan has his support but “the $3.5 trillion reconciliation package designed to pass without a single Republican vote” is “not infrastructure.”
The bill is “a liberal wish list,” including “all kinds of new social programs unrelated to infrastructure,” he said.
The senator noted that details of the proposal have been minimal, including how Democrats would pay for all the spending.
Graham said the only way to fund it is through a massive increase in taxes, something Republicans have pledged to fight.
Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont last week said two of his favorite targets will have to pay up after the bill becomes law.
“The wealthy and large corporations are going to pay their fair share of taxes so that we can protect the working families of this country,” he said, according to Reuters.
But with the new normal in political tactics being to deny the opposition a quorum, Graham said Republicans have another option other than standing by while Democrats lard on spending.
“If it takes me not showing up to stop” the bill, which he called “a tax and spend dream of the socialist left,” he said he would do it.
“Hey, Vice President Harris, if you think these people are heroes, well then I expect you to show up and pat us on the back,” the senator said, referring to Harris’ comments praising the Texas Democrats for showing “courage.”
Graham said enacting the Democrats’ spending bill would create two disasters.
Inflation, already rising during the presidency of Democrat Joe Biden, would go “through the roof,” he said.
Legalizing illegal immigrants, as some progressives have said the bill will seek to accomplish, would create “a complete run on the border,” Graham said.
“It would lead to an invasion of illegal immigrants if we put amnesty in the $3.5 trillion bill, so I’d do anything I could to stop that,” the senator said.
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