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U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) is coming out strongly against the proposed bill that would prevent a government shutdown before the end of the year.

Congressional leadership unveiled the roughly 1,500 page bill Tuesday night that would continue to fund the government until March 2025. The legislation also includes some additions like a one-year farm bill extension, roughly $100 billion in disaster relief, and about $10 billion in economic assistance for farmers.

“We’ve got to get this done because, here’s the key, by doing this, we are clearing the decks and we are setting up for Trump to come in, roaring back, with the America First agenda,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said about the spending package. “That’s what we’re going to run with gusto beginning January 3, when we start the new Congress, when Republicans again wrench control and all of our fiscal conservative friends, I’m one of them, will be able to finally do the things that we have been wanting to do for the last couple of years.”

RELATED: Tuberville slams Democrats’ last-minute Farm Bill proposal: Farmers ‘deserve to be a priority – not an afterthought’

Tuberville pushed back against the bill Wednesday, calling it a “liberal Christmas wish.”

“As a steadfast champion for America’s farmers, I have, for months, been advocating that farmers need dedicated economic assistance to deal with issues created by the Biden Administration,” Tuberville said on X. “Though the 1500-page omnibus contains $10 billion in economic assistance for farmers – it is, unfortunately, packed with reckless spending on a liberal Christmas list of priorities that will make inflation worse for ALL Americans.”

The senator also called for a farm bill to be passed separately.

“The farm economy, and support for Alabama farmers, should not be held hostage to Democrats’ priorities that have nothing to do with keeping the government running,” he argued. “House and Senate leadership should immediately schedule a separate vote on economic farm assistance.”

As a steadfast champion for America’s farmers, I have, for months, been advocating that farmers need dedicated economic assistance to deal with issues created by the Biden Administration.

Though the 1500-page omnibus contains $10 billion in economic assistance for farmers – it…

— Coach Tommy Tuberville (@SenTuberville) December 18, 2024

Tuberville discussed the continuing resolution (CR) further during a recent appearance on “Mornings with Maria.”

“It’s absolutely ridiculous what we’re doing here,” Tuberville said. “We should get a clean CR. Mike Johnson promised that. The two things we really need though is we need help for American farmers because the farm bill has been kicked down the road for two years…And then of course the disaster aid for North Carolina. The Biden administration has absolutely dropped the ball on this.”

Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on X @Yaffee

Thursday evening, the U.S. Senate passed a $1.5 trillion spending package for fiscal year 2022 by a vote of 68-31.

U.S. Sens. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) both voted in favor of the measure, which includes an array of defense and domestic projects funded in the state of Alabama.

Shelby, vice chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee and its subcommittee on defense, highlighted the national security-related funding Alabama received as part of the package.

“I am very pleased that this package contains a significant increase of $42 billion to our defense budget to help develop, maintain, and equip our military forces and intelligence community,” stated Shelby. “Throughout this appropriations process, I have insisted upon dollar-for-dollar parity for defense and non-defense increases. We have achieved that goal.”

“Our men and women in uniform must maintain an advantage over our adversaries, and Alabama plays a significant role in that effort,” added Alabama’s senior senator. “I have no doubt that this legislation will result in long-term benefits for our country. Alabama has for many decades played an important role in national defense, and I look forward to what lies ahead for our great state. The security of the nation must always be our number one priority.”

The following is a breakdown of defense spending affecting Alabama, according to Shelby’s Senate office:

Impacting the Wiregrass:

Impacting North Alabama:

Impacting the Birmingham Area:

Impacting Anniston:

– $1.15 billion to continue upgrading and modernizing the M1 Abrams tanks.

– $1.1 billion for Stryker vehicle upgrades.

– $663 million for Paladin Integrated Management artillery vehicles.

– $132 million for a Demilitarization Facility at Anniston Army Depot.

– $67.5 million for Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Center for Domestic Preparedness.

Impacting Auburn:

Impacting the Mobile Area:

Shelby asserted that the domestic funding provided to Alabama would serve to bolster economic development efforts throughout the Yellowhammer State.

“This bill importantly invests in a host of domestic priorities, including medical research, agriculture, local infrastructure, and rural communities,” advised Shelby. “These resources will bolster needed advancements, promote economic development, and encourage job creation. I am pleased that we have succeeded in securing this funding for Alabama, and I look forward to the impact it will have on our state and the nation. Alabama has always played a major role on the national stage. This funding will only accelerate the pace of that success.”

The following is a breakdown of domestic spending affecting Alabama, according to Shelby’s Senate office:

Impacting North Alabama:

Impacting Tuscaloosa:

– $13.5 million to support integrated water prediction operations.

– $4 million to assist in future hydrological research and operational efforts.

– $4.5 million for university partnerships for innovative water resource technologies.

Impacting the Birmingham area:

Impacting Auburn:

– $3 million, $1.5 million above the FY21 enacted level, for the Animal Health and Agro Bio Defense Center of Excellence.

– $6 million, $1 million above the FY21 enacted level, to address cotton blue disease.

– $3 million for sustainable and advanced technologies for poultry processing.

– $2 million to reduce mixed infections in warm water aquaculture.

– $2 million for biomass conversion technologies at the National Soil Dynamics Laboratory located at Auburn University.

– $4 million for aquaponics system development.

– $3 million for advanced poultry production technology development.

– $1.5 million for alternative technologies for poultry waste utilization.

– $1.2 million to study harmful algal bloom impact on aquaculture.

– $1 million for dietary manipulation to improve gut health in broiler production.

– Maintains funding for foodborne pathogens and shrimp production research.

Impacting the Mobile area:

Statewide funding:

Dylan Smith is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL

Robert Aderholt (R-AL4)
Robert Aderholt (R-AL4)

WASHINGTON — A $1.1 trillion bill to fund the government through next September flew through the House (316-113) and Senate (65-33) on Friday, but only garnered support from two individuals in Alabama’s nine-member federal delegation. Alabama’s lone Democratic representative Terri Sewell (D-AL7) was joined in supporting the bill by Republican Robert Aderholt (R-AL4), while the other seven Alabama Republicans voted no.

“This bill is more known for what it is not than for what it is,” Aderholt told Yellowhammer in a statement. “While I was able to get some important language included for the pro-life movement, the bill does not contain other riders I had hoped for such as tying the President’s hands in the Syrian refugees and peeling back the EPA water regulation. That is a big disappointment.”

The pro-life language Aderholt had inserted into the 2,009-page bill blocks the genetic manipulation of human embryos. Aderholt said he was opposed to other portions of the bill, which included funding for Planned Parenthood, and according to Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), President Obama’s “entire immigration agenda,” including the Syrian refugee resettlement program and expansion of foreign worker visas.

“There is a reason that GOP voters are in open rebellion,” Sessions said in a statement announcing his opposition to the bill. “They have come to believe that their party’s elites are not only uninterested in defending their interests but – as with this legislation, and fast-tracking the President’s international trade pact – openly hostile to them.”

Sessions was joined in the senate by his Alabama colleague Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), who also voted against the measure while calling its final passage a “victory” for President Obama.

“Today I once again said ‘no’ to handing over a blank check to President Obama with this 2,000 page, trillion-dollar spending bill filled with liberal victories,” said Shelby. “Not only does this fiscally irresponsible bill allow the President to continue his dangerous Syrian refugee resettlement plan, it does nothing to stop funding for lawless sanctuary cities that protect criminal illegal immigrants. It also does nothing to end taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood. Simply put, this bill represents a victory for President Obama and his liberal allies – not for the American people.”

In the House, Rep. Terri Sewell (D-AL7) said she voted for the bill “after a thoughtful and thorough review,” citing its funding for “Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and other minority serving institutions.”

“This is not a perfect bill,” she said, “but I am proud that both sides of the aisle were able to work out a compromise that benefits our nation, and helps us continue to grow.”

Conservative criticisms of the bill included familiar frustrations with the process used to craft it, in addition to the policy provisions. In spite of the bill being over 2,000 pages long, members were only given a couple of days to review it.

“The good news is that this bill is the last vestiges of Speaker Boehner’s style of leadership,” Aderholt said. “And in two weeks we will start putting together a bill with conservative principles that will pass with conservative votes.”

Aderholt is a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee and could play a significant role in crafting the next funding legislation.

Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) speaking at the Values Voter Summit in Washington, DC. (Photo: Gage Skidmore)
Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) speaking at the Values Voter Summit in Washington, DC. (Photo: Gage Skidmore)

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) on Tuesday warned that Congress is preparing to fund “(President) Obama’s entire immigration agenda” in its yearly “omnibus” spending bill, including the controversial Syrian refugee program.

The current funding proposal before Congress would not only authorize the President’s plan to bring in 85,000 refugees on top of the current, historical annual immigration flow, but would also allow for an unlimited amount of money to be spent on lifetime welfare and benefits for refugees.

100 refugees are currently slated to be housed in Alabama by Catholic Social Services. The date of their arrival is uncertain.

“This year’s appropriations bills – which will be combined into a catch-all ‘omnibus’ by December 11th – amount to a blank check for the President to carry out his refugee resettlement plans,” said Sessions. The senator also said the bill will “fund the continued placement of illegal aliens from Central America into U.S. communities; continue federal funding for ‘sanctuary cities’; allow for the continued operation of the President’s 2012 executive amnesty program; and (could also) include a huge expansion of the H-2B foreign worker visa program.”

In light of those findings, Sessions urged his colleagues to use Congress’s power of the purse to deny funding to the president’s appropriations requests.

“The President’s annual funding requests are just that: requests,” he said. “It is the exclusive and sole constitutional prerogative of Congress whether or not to accept his requests, reject them, or impose whatever conditions Congress deems proper on behalf of taxpaying Americans.”

While the Republican-controlled House recently passed a bill some argue would halt the influx of Syrian refugees and intensify the security screenings of refugees going forward, Sessions and Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) have both said Congress’s focus should be on the funding side, where they have more power.

“As Chairmen of Subcommittees on both the Appropriations and Judiciary Committees, we believe it is essential that any government funding bill cancel the President’s blank check for refugee resettlement,” they said in a joint statement last month. “Long before the barbaric attacks in Paris, government officials and investigators have stated that we do not have the capacity to effectively screen Syrian refugees. The bloody assaults on the streets of France add new urgency to an already dangerous situation. Right now, our refugee program – like all of our visa programs – runs on autopilot. Each year, millions of visas go out the door without any input or action from Congress. We would not accept this policy for the federal budget, and we should not accept it for immigration. We therefore urge the inclusion of a provision in any omnibus spending bill that makes it absolutely clear that no refugee resettlement will take place without a separate, affirmative Congressional vote to authorize any resettlement and offset its huge costs.”

Sessions added to that statement on Tuesday, demanding members of Congress decide whether they will push back against the White House prior to voting on the impending omnibus bill.

“Now is the hour of choosing for Congress,” he said. “Will we surrender – funding Obama’s entire immigration agenda – or will we assert Congress’s power on behalf of the interests of the American people?”

Capitol

Negotiators on Capitol Hill unveiled a giant 1,582 page, $1.1 trillion government funding bill this week, which would fund the government for the remainder of the current fiscal year and put an end to all the government shutdown talk. The House of Representatives passed the bill today by a vote of 359-67.

Both Republicans and Democrats praised the bill, which typically means that the American people will see little — if any — progress in reining in government spending. When cuts happen, one side or the other make noise because one of their favored areas got hit.

However, it is no doubt a positive that Congress is returning to so-called “regular order” and actually passing spending bills. And it’s noteworthy that the package is $164 billion less than President George W. Bush’s last discretionary budget.

So what does it all mean for our state?

As Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, our very own Senator Richard Shelby served as the top Republican negotiator on the Senate side.

Here are 7 things in the Omnibus Spending Bill that might actually impact your life right here in Alabama:

COLAs are back and military folks got a pay raise

The bill repeals the recently enacted cut to cost of living adjustments, or COLAs for disabled military retirees and survivors. This is good news for Alabama’s huge population of military retirees and survivors. U.S. military personnel and civilian federal workers also got a 1 percent pay raise.

Sen. Jeff Sessions said he was glad to see retired vets being better taken care of in this deal, but insisted there’s still more that could be done.

“I was pleased that the House-Senate package includes a provision restoring the pensions for disabled veterans, after we called attention to the fact that wounded warriors would be impacted by the budget deal,” Sessions said. “However, the deal fails to restore pension payments for millions of active duty and retired military personnel and leaves more than 90 percent of the original reductions in place. For a currently-serving officer nearing retirement, this cut could exceed $120,000 in pension payments, reducing the cost-of-living adjustments by more than 60 percent.”

Sessions said he believes there are better ways to save money and suggested closing a tax credit loophole that illegal immigrants take advantage of.

“Unfortunately, Leader Reid and his conference blocked my effort to implement this fix during the budget debate in December,” Sessions said. “I hope the majority will allow us to make this fix and stop shielding these illicit tax payments. In order to end annual deficits all of us will have to tighten our belts, but our military personnel must not disproportionately bear the burden.”

North Alabama folks get bump in NASA funding

NASA has an almost $3 billion impact on Alabama’s economy, but it has been a big target for cuts by the Obama Administration. Both Sen. Richard Shelby and Rep. Mo Brooks, have been big advocates for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS), which is built in Huntsville.

Included in this week’s omnibus legislation is $1.9 billion for the Space Launch System. This figure is approximately $200 million above the President’s request in the budget he submitted to Congress. Of the $1.9 billion for SLS, $1.6 billion is for development of rocket systems at Marshall Space Flight Center in North Alabama.

“I am pleased that this legislation includes the funding necessary to continue the great work underway in Huntsville on the Space Launch System,” Sen. Shelby said. “If we are to maintain our leadership role in human space flight, we must continue to make SLS a top priority in NASA’s budget. I will continue to do everything in my power to ensure that it is.”

Mobile’s getting a new federal courthouse

The bill provides $69.5 million to construct a new federal courthouse in Mobile and to renovate the existing courthouse, which was built from 1932-1934. Combined with the $49 million that is remaining from previously appropriated courthouse funding for Mobile, the total project cost will be $118.5 million. The total design and construction work is expected to take 5 1/2 years.

Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Tuscaloosa, Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee
Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Tuscaloosa, Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee

“These funds will provide Mobile with a new courthouse that meets modern security standards and facilitates efficient processing of cases,” said Sen. Shelby. “The construction and operation of this facility will also generate huge economic activity in the heart of Mobile. I am pleased that this was included in the legislation.”

Another step toward widening the Port of Mobile

The report accompanying the omnibus bill directs the Corps of Engineers to study the widening and deepening of Mobile harbor. This is a necessary, preliminary step under the Corps’ regulations before the work can be undertaken.

Sen. Shelby has in the past discussed his 10-12 year plan of making Mobile a world center of trade and commerce by making its port wide enough and deep enough to handle the world’s largest ships.

“Mobile can be one of the top five ports in the country,” Shelby said today. “Its economic potential is limitless. I am pleased that this legislation provides for the next critical step in that direction.”

Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) gets funding

The president requested and received $1.7 billion for the procurement of 4 Littoral Combat Ships, which are built in Mobile.

Alabama Tea Party groups get a small victory

The omnibus specifically instructs the IRS not to use any funds to “target citizens of the United States for exercising any right guaranteed under the First Amendment.”

It’s remarkable that those words even need to be included in a bill, and it’s a far cry from justice being served in the targeting cases that have already taken place. However, it’s a small victory for Alabama groups like the Wetumpka Tea Party who were targeted by the IRS for their political beliefs.

Environmental groups escape unscathed

Attempts by Republicans to drastically cut funding to the Environmental Protection Agency were unsuccessful. The federal agency that implements heavy-handed mandates and regulations on businesses all over the country has long been reviled by conservatives. And recent efforts by Alabama-based environmental groups to speed up the process of shutting down coal plants have really put the EPA front and center in the state. Alabama Governor Robert Bentley and Attorney General Luther Strange back in December challenged the EPA’s power to halt economic development. The fights will continue on the state level, but the EPA’s federal funding remains intact for now.

Follow Cliff on Twitter @Cliff_Sims