Capital Scene: The Little Engine that Couldn’t

Washington, D.C.

ON December 21, 1987, the Democrat-controlled Congress wrapped 13 appropriations bills into a $600-billion, 1,400-page omnibus spending bill, dumped it on President Reagan’s desk, and then adjourned. Reagan’s unhappy options: sign into law the most expensive spending bill in the history of Western civilization or veto it and set in motion a Christmas Eve budget train wreck. In the end, Reagan blinked (thanks to advice from Jim and Howard Baker), the bill was signed, and House Speaker Jim Wright and Senate Majority Leader Robert Byrd were exalted. It was perhaps the low point of the Reagan Presidency.

About the Author

Stephen Moore

Stephen Moore is a co-founder of Unleash Prosperity, a senior visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation, and a senior economic adviser to the Trump campaign.

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Washington, D.C.

ON December 21, 1987, the Democrat-controlled Congress wrapped 13 appropriations bills into a $600-billion, 1,400-page omnibus spending bill, dumped it on President Reagan’s desk, and then adjourned. Reagan’s unhappy options: sign into law the most expensive spending bill in the history of Western civilization or veto it and set in motion a Christmas Eve budget train wreck. In the end, Reagan blinked (thanks to advice from Jim and Howard Baker), the bill was signed, and House Speaker Jim Wright and Senate Majority Leader Robert Byrd were exalted. It was perhaps the low point of the Reagan Presidency.

About the Author

Stephen Moore

Stephen Moore is a co-founder of Unleash Prosperity, a senior visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation, and a senior economic adviser to the Trump campaign.