After enduring months of the looming threat of a government shutdown, this past week witnessed a dramatic escalation of the situation. The issue was marred by foolish political antics and accusations of partisanship as the conflict over the Continuing Resolution intensified. Compounding the chaos was the bill’s expansion, evolving from an initial emergency measure into a massive 1,500-page document riddled with unnecessary provisions.
The political games were in full effect, with the attempt to ramrod this spending opportunity with only a three-day window of approval employed. Fortunately, this bloated bill was exposed for the sham it was and spiked early in the attempt. Then we saw another practiced D.C. tactic whenever spending cuts are threatened – highlighting cutting sensitive programs over the wasteful pork. For this iteration, the hacks brought up kids with cancer, and it was as desperate a move as it was easily shown to be an impotent accusation.
The attempt to accuse Republicans, and then Elon Musk of supposedly killing the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act – the bill was explained at length by RedState’s Teri Christoph – exposed both the desperation from the Democrats as well as the vacuous journalism seen from the sycophantic members of the press. The attempt to hurl intolerance towards the right while preserving the sanctity of government bloat was too much for journalists to resist.
Facts were tossed aside quickly to push this narrative, demonizing Republicans for supposedly craven decisions.
And there you have it. New bill removes funding for this bipartisan child cancer research program. $190 million — a small drop comparatively — is now gone. will need to be passed at some other point, if it can get passed at all. https://t.co/pPwhYNmRGv
— Sam Stein (@samstein) December 19, 2024
Taking things to the base level of convenient talking points, here is MSNBC’s Chris Hayes delivering what he was sure to be a blithe, shareable nugget on the matter.
The world’s richest man took $190 million away from kids with cancer. https://t.co/DvbgvTMvDf
— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) December 19, 2024
These are supposed journalists who had zero interest in delivering the details or even looking into the background of this bill. The Bulwark’s Sam Stein brings up names like Eric Cantor and Barack Obama. That indicates how long this kids’ cancer bill has been percolating, but suddenly, this piece of legislation that has been in various permutations over a number of not just years but administrations is today held up as a vital passage that will keep cancer children from dying! But it is even more deceptive than that.
Blaming Republicans is not simply a strained accusation — it is an outright lie. The bill passed the GOP-led House – in March of this year. Overwhelmingly so, with a vote of 384-4. It was moved over to the Senate at that time, where it has languished ever since. That would make Chuck Schumer the responsible party. And if you are going to complain about using cancer-stricken children as a political wedge, then the blame should be dropped directly onto Schumer’s lap, as he only pulled that file from his desk to insert it in the CR bill as a device to shame the GOP into voting for the first swollen edition.
The entire reason for segregating the entries for voting was to avoid the political chicanery that saw items included in that first “emergency” bill, such as granting land to D.C. for a possible new NFL stadium. So the Republicans and Musk suggested if something is in fact vital for passage, then craft an independent bill to be voted on. As a result, after the spending brinkmanship was exposed, this bill gained life on Schumer’s desk after all. Once the Democrats and the press made kids with cancer a vital issue, then they could not justify letting the bill languish anew.
And would you look at that; we saw the Gabriella Miller Act breeze through the Senate floor with relative ease Friday night, once it was actually made a standalone entity… and once it was actually allowed to be voted on in the Senate. Note how Mr. Stein reported on this development, with no mention of his prior promise that this was not possible and the bill was essentially dead.
NEW– Tonight, the senate passed via a rare unanimous consent vote, legislation to extend the Gabriella Miller Act (they passed the House version which is five years at 12.6 million a year) to fund pediatric cancer research. It will now head to Biden’s desk and become law.…
— Sam Stein (@samstein) December 21, 2024
These developments are the very reasons leading to the November reelection of Donald Trump. Not just the cynical ploys seen in what we were told was a crucial bill but also the partisan games played in the press by misattributing the movements behind the scenes. All while they wonder why people are walking away from their outlets.
