When the clock strikes midnight tonight, 70 percent of the government will shut down unless Congress takes action.
Earlier this month, Congress passed—and President Joe Biden signed—a $460 billion bill to fund 30 percent of government agencies including the Justice Department and Department of Transportation.
The U.S. Capitol building during cherry blossom season in Washington on March 20, 2024. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times
In the wee hours on March 21, appropriators unveiled a $1.2 trillion spending bill, or a “minibus,” to fund the rest of the government including the Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Defense, Treasury Department, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Labor, Department of Education, and Department of State.
The House is set to pass the minibus on today, while the Senate could pass it soon thereafter if no senator objects to expediting the process. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), a libertarian and spending hawk, has not ruled out slowing down the bill’s passage in the Senate, which consists of arcane rules and procedures. Were those normal rules and procedures to occur, it could result in delaying passing the bill on time.
Direct funding for Ukraine and Taiwan is not in the spending bill as Congress is stuck trying to pass a supplemental assistance package for Taipei and Kyiv as Republicans have called for stringent border measures in exchange. The GOP blocked a Senate bill that consisted of assistance for Ukraine and the Indo-Pacific, including Taiwan, and some specific border security measures.
The annual $3.3 billion for Israel is in the bill, as has been the case for the past several years. This comes amid the latest conflict between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas.
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Republicans are furious over the bill with reasons ranging from the price tag to earmarks, which are pet projects members of Congress seek to fund in their own districts.
Nonetheless, both Democrats and Republicans got policy victories, though members on both sides are expected to oppose the bill. This is despite the expected overwhelming support it will get in passing both the House and Senate in order to get to President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature and, therefore, avert a partial government shutdown.
—Jackson Richman
CHINESE HATE PROPAGANDA AT CUSTOMS
A U.S. performing arts group had expected welcome in Chicago after a performance tour in Europe. That wasn’t the case.
Teresa Du, tour manager for Shen Yun Performing Arts and a U.S. citizen, heard a Chinese-speaking customs officer repeatedly calling the group “political” and suggesting its members were “illegal.”
“Flowing Sleeves,” from the 2009 Shen Yun Performing Arts program. 2009 Shen Yun Performing Arts
The language he used was exactly what the Chinese Communist Party uses in its propaganda campaign against the group, she said.
“They’re Falun Gong. They’re political. They’re illegal,” he told his coworkers nearby, Ms. Du recalled.
“Are you being sponsored by Falun Gong?” he also asked Ms. Du. Three other dancers said they witnessed the same officer talking to them or to other officers about their group.
Ms. Du does practice Falun Gong, and so do many Shen Yun artists.
Falun Gong has been under a heavy persecution in China, from forced labor to forced organ harvesting.
The Chinese Communist Party call the adherents “political” when they try to raise awareness about the abuses. Ms. Du, born and raised in Texas, never expected such a “verbal attack” would happen at the Chicago airport.
Small incident or foreign interference?
Several lawmakers called what happened alarming, noting that the officer, who speaks Mandarin with a mainland Chinese accent, was spreading Beijing’s narratives in his official capacity.
“I want to know this individual’s background,” said Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.).
“You’ve got to wonder, who’s watching the watchmen?” he said. ”How was this person vetted? How did [he] get to this position?”
Rep. Brian Babin (R-Texas) agreed.
“We should never allow the PRC [People’s Republic of China]—one of the most repressive countries on the planet—to have influence over our federal government,” he said.
The lawmakers have called for an investigation into the incident.
—Eva Fu
DEMOCRATS’ CASH ADVANTAGE GROWS
By one metric, President Joe Biden is lapping his rivals in the fundraising race.
According to Federal Election Commission filings reflecting February performance, Biden’s principal campaign committee had more than $71 million in cash on hand at the beginning of March.
President Joe Biden speaks during a campaign event at the Washoe Democratic Party Office in Reno, Nev., on March 19, 2024. Brendan Smialowski / AFP
By comparison, the same committees for former President Donald Trump and independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. held $33.5 million and $5.1 million, respectively, at the end of February.
While the FEC cannot currently verify its claims, the Biden campaign has said its money machine raised a collective $53 million in February and has access to more than $155 million in cash.
Meanwhile, the Trump campaign continues to bear the burden of multiple legal challenges. The three Trump-affiliated committees that reported on March 20 said they spent more than $6.5 million on various legal expenses in February.
Biden’s Democrat Party allies maintained a solid lead over their Republican Party rivals, too.
While the Republican National Committee improved its finances somewhat in its final month with Ronna McDaniel at the helm, it still trails the Democratic National Committee in terms of cash on hand.
According to their February filings, the DNC held about $26.5 million at the end of the month, while the RNC held only $11.3 million.
The Democrats’ Congressional committees, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, lead their Republican counterparts as well.
Combined, the DSCC and DCCC reported about $91 million in cash on hand at the end of February. The National Republican Senatorial Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee trailed with about $70 million in the bank at the end of the month.
The Democrat’s online ally, Act Blue, brought in a massive $109 million in February, too. The small-dollar donation clearinghouse told the FEC it retained $61.3 million in cash on hand.
—Austin Alonzo
BOOKMARKS
Conservatives are furious about the contents of a $1.2 trillion funding bill set to glide through the House within 36 hours of being revealed, The Epoch Times’ Jackson Richman reported. But in spite of their frustration, The Epoch Times’ Joseph Lord reported, Republicans say Speaker Mike Johnson’s job is safe.
New York Attorney General Letitia James has taken initial steps in New York’s Westchester County to prepare to seize former Trump’s properties after a state judge ordered him to pay a $455 million fine in a civil fraud case, The Epoch Times’ Jack Phillips reported. The moves come as Trump has struggled to secure funding for the judgment, which he’s currently appealing.
As national attention has turned to the southern border, a viral video circulated on the internet showing illegal aliens rushing troops at the border in an effort to forcibly enter the country. The Epoch Times’ Chase Smith reported on the video, which critics were quick to condemn as a result of Biden’s border policies.
Aerospace and real estate CEO Robert Bigelow, who was formerly the largest donor to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ election bid, has turned his support to Trump, The Epoch Times’ Austin Alonzo reported. Newly released disclosures show that on Feb. 9, Bigelow cut a $5 million check for the Trump campaign. He earlier donated $20 million to DeSantis.
