On the House floor, Rep. Mike Pence (R, Ind.) just noted that the omnibus bill guts the Kemp-Kasten provision that prevents taxpayers’ money from going to organizations that participate in goverments’ coerced abortion and sterilization programs. Rep. John Boehner (R., Ohio) is discussing how the bill eliminates the District of Columbia school choice program, which has helped many poor students here in Washington escape the nation’s worst schools.
Both points demonstrate that there is a lot more to this bill than just $410 billion in spending and 8,500 earmarks.