Congressional RINOs like Herrera cave: Dems get most everything they want; funding cut for Trump agenda, funding continues for leftist agenda.

For the past 3 years, I've been trying to find the difference between the Establishment GOP and the democrats.

For the past 3 years, I've failed.

On the local level, the state GOP is directly responsible for THE largest increases in property taxes, gas tax and tab fees this state has ever known.

The GOP generally and the formerly GOP-controlled Senate in particular.

Local RINOs have been quite supportive of many of these increases.

The horrific resurrection of the CRC/Loot Rail scam?  The RINO who's who is on that bill.  The budget that is causing us so much pain and in many cases, financial heartache?  The local legislative RINO cadre' is all over it.

At the county level, the election of these four fake Republicans to the council; Boldt, Olsen, Stuart, and Blom has resulted in increases in just about every tax and fee possible.  Of course, I predicted as much before any of these 4 Stooges were elected, so it comes as no great surprise.

And now, at the federal level, it appears a budget is going to be passed that would make Nancy Pelosi blush with all the leftist pork in it and all of the broken promises by the GOP... again.

Funding continues to sanctuary cities.  No funding for the Wall. Democrats were allowed to place limits on ICE concerning the number of illegal aliens that can be in custody.

(Source: the Washington Post) 

Immigration enforcement: The bill bumps up funding for both U.S. Customs and Border Protection and for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement — delivering increases sought by the Trump administration. But there are significant restrictions on how that new money can be spent. Democrats pushed for and won, limitations on hiring new ICE interior enforcement agents and on the number of undocumented immigrants the agency can detain. Under provisions written into the bill, ICE can have no more than 40,354 immigrants in detention by the time the fiscal year ends in September. But there is a catch: The Homeland Security secretary is granted discretion to transfer funds from other accounts “as necessary to ensure the detention of aliens prioritized for removal.”

Health care: Left out of the bill was a health-care measure sought by GOP Sens. Susan Collins (Maine) and Lamar Alexander (Tenn.) that would have allowed states to establish high-risk pools to help cover costly insurance claims while restoring certain payments to insurers under the Affordable Care Act. Trump, who ended the “cost-sharing reduction” payments in the fall, supported the Collins-Alexander language. But Democrats opposed it because they claimed it included language expanding the existing prohibition on federal funding for abortions.

Internal Revenue Service: Despite the administration’s attempts to slash its budget, lawmakers grant $11.431 billion to the nation’s tax collectors, a $196 million year-to-year increase and $456 million more than Trump requested. The figure includes $320 million to implement changes enacted as part of the GOP tax overhaul plan.

Baseball: Should the bill pass, some minor-league ballplayers could see a raise this year — but only barely. The Save America’s Pastime Act exempts pro baseball players from federal labor laws and has been a major lobbying priority for Major League Baseball ever since minor-league players began suing the league in recent years for paying them illegally low wages. The version in the bill only exempts players working under a contract that pays minimum wage, but there are major loopholes: The contract only has to pay minimum wage for a 40-hour workweek during the season, not spring training or the offseason — and it includes no guarantee of overtime even though baseball prospects routinely work long hours. Thus, under the bill, a player is guaranteed a minimum salary of $1,160 a month. The current minor-league minimum is $1,100 a month. 

(At a minimum, minor league ballplayers should get minimum wage and overtime like everyone else.  It isn't like Major League Baseball couldn't afford it.) 

Election security: The bill provides $380 million to the federal Election Assistance Commission to make payments to states to improve election security and technology, and the FBI is set to receive $300 million in counterintelligence funding to combat Russian hacking. 

(Nothing in there about, for example, proof of citizenship requirements to register to vote, so democrats can continue to exploit illegal alien votes.  Nothing in their punishing California for their blatant disregard for federal laws and their illegal employment of illegal aliens in state government. Nothing in their concerning election security requirements that would actively root out illegal aliens from voter roles.

Illegals and non-citizens will continue to vote in our elections without fear of reprisal.)

Congressional misconduct: The House appears to have gone further than the Senate to address concerns about how allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct are handled on Capitol Hill. The House set aside $4 million to pay for mandatory workplace rights training and plans to create a new Office of Employee Advocacy to assist employees in proceedings before the Office of Compliance or House Ethics Committees. House leaders also made a point of highlighting plans to expand the House Day Care Center. But senators failed to reach agreement on making changes to how allegations of wrongdoing are handled so they won’t be included in the bill. 

(No requirement for either House to publicize the list of miscreants who spent millions of OUR dollars paying off their victims.)

District of Columbia: The nation’s capital will see a slight dip in its federal funding. Lawmakers provide $721 million in direct federal funding to the District, a $35 million drop from last year — due mostly to a $22 million cut in emergency planning money that was used to prepare for the 2017 presidential inauguration. Lawmakers also kept out GOP attempts to block the District’s budget autonomy act and its assisted suicide law.

Religion and politics: The federal ban on tax-exempt churches engaging in political activity, known as the Johnson Amendment, will continue, despite attempts by Trump and GOP lawmakers to rescind it.

Secret Service: The agency responsible for protecting the president and his family gets $2.007 billion, including $9.9 million for overtime worked without pay in 2017 and $14 million to construct a taller and stronger fence around the White House. In a win for congressional Democrats concerned about Secret Service agents protecting Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump on overseas business trips, the bill includes language requiring an annual report on travel costs for people protected by the service — including the adult children of presidents.

(Odd that the leftists didn't care about these expenses when that Obama clown was running the show.)

Arts: Federal funding for the arts goes up, despite GOP attempts to slash it. The National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities will see funding climb to $152.8 million each, a $3 million increase over the last fiscal year. Trump proposed eliminating the endowments. The National Gallery of Art gets $165.9 million, a $1.04 million jump in funding. The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts will receive $40.5 million, which is $4 million more than the last fiscal year. 

Public broadcasting: Big Bird, “Antiques Roadshow” and “Masterpiece Theatre” can play on as lawmakers agreed not to cut funding for the nation’s public television and radio networks. Government funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting will remain at $465 million — the same level as past years. PBS and NPR draw most of their funding directly from member stations and viewers like you. 

(Clearly, the GOP didn't even try to cut their funding. Why am I not surprised?)

These are just the highlights.  There's likely more, and when it's from the Post, you have to take it all with a grain of salt.

Additionally, Planned Parenthood funding was apparently left alone as well.

On the plus side... I can't find any agreement about DACA... so it isn't ALL bad... just 90% of it.

And yes... our local cardboard cutout of a congresswoman voted for this idiocy.

But then, her hard on against Trump is well known, ever since she joined with those morons we keep sending back to the Senate every election to trash him after the tape debacle.

See?  Herrera voted for it... and so will Cantwell and Murray.

She ought to switch parties and be done with it.  And thus, the eternal issue... how are RINOs different from democrats?

If there is one... I can't see it.