Response from a leadership source:
[That was a ] funny email about “secret” meeting of senate spending “cardinals.”
Not quite as represented.
More important emails should be solicited on non-secret meetings of House and Senate Republican leadership, and their spending bill plans.
Spending will not:
1) exceed President’s spending level, which is set in separate House and Senate budget resolutions, agreed separately earlier this year in each house.
2) Steal from DoD spending, like past years.
3) Be junked up with objectionable legislative items.
Leadership further expects POTUS and fiscal conservatives to help ensure that this comes to pass, no matter how the bills end up-separately, minibuses (a few bundled together into some discreet packages), an omnibus, or-and yes, this is the best result from a spending standpoint-a CR.