Senate

GOP senators buck bipartisan spending bill

by Jordain Carney - 12/16/15 3:34 PM ET

An end-of-the-year government spending proposal is getting quick pushback in the Senate from a pair of conservative Republicans.

Alabama Sens. Richard Shelby and Jeff Sessions both said on Wednesday that they will oppose the omnibus spending package, which Republican leadership suggested could get a vote as early as Friday.

{mosads}”Yeah, I expect to vote against it,” Sessions said, when asked if he could support the bill even though it doesn’t include a handful of provisions he proposed, including suspending the acceptance of refugees.

Sessions added that he was “deeply disappointed” that it would increase the number of H-2B visas — allowing for employers to temporarily hire foreign non-agricultural workers — calling it a “bitter pill” for voters who supported Republican candidates in 2014.

“I don’t think it honors the moral commitment Republicans had to voters in the last election,” he said.

Separately, Shelby said that he would oppose the legislation, saying that “it’s got some things in it that I don’t plan to support.”

The Alabama Republican, who chairs the Senate Banking Committee, didn’t specify what those provisions were.

If leadership wants to move the legislation on Friday they’ll need to get the consent of every senator. Sessions said Wednesday that he hasn’t made a decision of if he’ll support a time agreement.

The two conservative senators aren’t the only ones saying they will oppose the 2,009-page spending bill, which was released after 1:30 a.m. on Wednesday.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said that he would vote no unless a provision that lifted restrictions on the use of Russian rocket engines was removed.

He added that if the provision is not removed from the omnibus, “I assure my colleagues this issue will not go unaddressed in the fiscal year 2017 National Defense Authorization Act.”

McCain’s stance is a break from many of his Republican colleagues who face tough reelection battles next year. Republican Sens. Rob Portman (Ohio), Kelly Ayotte (N.H.), Pat Toomey (Pa.) and Mark Kirk (Ill.) are all remaining tight-lipped.

While Ayotte touted funding for opioid abuse in the legislation, she stressed that she is “still reviewing it carefully.”

Tags Alabama Jeff Sessions Richard Shelby