Rubio and Scott Vote Against Omnibus Spending Package

WASHINGTON, D.C. (FLV) – The U.S. Senate passed the $1.7 trillion omnibus spending package Thursday, sending it to the U.S. House.

Florida Sen. Rick Scott ardently voted against the spending bill, calling it a “reckless inflation bomb” and a disaster for the economy.

“Think about the inflation that we already have. Look at gas prices. Look at food prices. Look at rent. All these things are up. Government spending like this is going to cause more inflation,” Scott said. “This is just another inflation bomb.”

Scott criticized Democrats for delivering the more than 4,000 page bill at 1:30 a.m. Tuesday.

“There’s no way that anybody has read this bill that we just voted on,” he said.

There are 7,500 earmarks, according to Scott. He noted that some money would go toward promoting outdoor dining in California and promote dirt bike culture in Baltimore.

Rubio said he voted against the bill because it was released hours before voting and was drafted by a “small group of senators with no input from the overwhelming majority of the Senate.

His news release said Democrats shot down Republican-led amendment that would have helped secure the southern border.

“I voted to start debate on the bill in the hopes we could use the amendment process to move it closer to something that funds a functional government focused on core responsibilities instead of deranged, far-left initiatives. That did not happen, and so I voted no,” Rubio said.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-KY, reportedly praised the bill for increasing defense spending above the rate of inflation.

“The world’s greatest military will get the funding increase that it needs, outpacing inflation. Meanwhile, non-defense, non-veterans spending will come in below the rate of inflation, for a real-dollar cut,” McConnell said on the Senate floor.

The omnibus bill will fund the federal government through September and reportedly provides Ukraine with $45 billion.

“Finalizing the omnibus is critical, absolutely critical for supporting our friends in Ukraine,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY, has said.

On Twitter Schumer said the bill includes an “an aggressive investment in American families, workers, and our national defense. The range of people it helps is large and deep. America will be healthier, more prosperous, and more secure.”