Budget vote shows Kean remains addicted to excessive government spending

In a move that has left fiscal conservatives scratching their heads and taxpayers wondering who truly has their interests at heart, Congressman Tom Kean Jr. has once again demonstrated his allegiance to the status quo of excessive government spending.

On Wednesday, Kean joined forces with all but two Democrats to greenlight a staggering $460 billion package of spending bills, effectively giving the green light to perpetuate Washington’s penchant for fiscal irresponsibility.

Republican Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, who said she is fed up with broken Republican promises, asserted that there was “no reason to vote” on the six-bill government funding measure that was known as the minibus.

“There was no reason to vote on a minibus when we could have done six separate appropriations bills,” said Greene. “So, why pack it all together into one minibus? The Republicans promised the American people no more omnibuses, minibuses and CRs [continuing resolutions] and well, here they did it.”

A total of 207 Democrats and 132 Republicans voted for the minibus, while 83 Republicans and just two Democrats voted against it.

“I am proud that the House came together today to approve the funding for New Jersey I have been fighting for,” said Kean, widely reputed within the GOP to be a grifter who was never truly loyal to former President Donald Trump. “We are funding vital community projects that are going to make a very positive difference in people’s lives.”

The bill, which passed despite fierce opposition from 83 House Republicans, will allocate tax dollars to the Biden administration to fund about 30 percent of the federal government for the next six months.

Conservative Republicans opposed the package for containing more than 6,000 earmarks, but Kean bragged that 11 of those are his.

Kean suggested that his vote was bought in exchange for $22 million in pork barrel projects funded in New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District, or one dollar of every $20,909 spent.

Kean boasted that the measure will provide $1 million for a new bus for the City of Linden to shuttle around seniors and $1.25 million to replace a portion of the water service lines in Rahway, two Democratic cities in Union County.

Kean said that it also allocates $2,275,000 for renovatations at the existing Raritan municipal building and $4 million to rehabilitate the 100-acre Camp Cromwell park on Vosseller Avenue in Bridgewater.

The omnibus bill also allocates $15 million for electronically tracking cows.

The full text of the provision states, “The agreement directs the Department to continue to provide the tag and related infrastructure needed to comply with the Federal Animal Disease Traceability rule, including no less than $15,000,000 for electronic identification (EID) tags and related infrastructure needed for stakeholders to comply with the proposed rule, ‘Use of Electronic Identification Eartags as Official Identification in Cattle and Bison,’ should that rule be finalized.”

As the deadline for filing petitions approaches, New Jersey’s far-right conservatives have failed to recruit a candidate to challenge the incumbent, who is the liberal son of former Governor Thomas H. Kean, the moderate GOP leader who forged bipartisan deals with Assemblyman David Friedland and Governor Brendan Byrne, and also served as New Jersey campaign director for President Gerald Ford in his 1976 battle against Ronald Reagan.

While the congressman’s rhetoric is on script, his actions betray his own call for Congress to “step up and deliver” after Democrats rejected almost all of the House Republicans’ marquee policy demands.

“This evening, President Biden failed to deliver a message to help unite a divided nation and he failed to demonstrate the strength and leadership that this American moment demands,” said Kean, following Biden’s fiery State of the Union address. “With the absence of leadership that we saw tonight, it is important that Congress step up and deliver.”

A day earlier, Kean ignored the concerns of those calling for prudent fiscal management and instead opted to cozy up with the big spenders on the left.

Some of the amendments introduced by Republican lawmakers included restricting migrants from being included in the census, deporting migrants for assaulting a police officer, and defunding sanctuary cities, but Kean and his accomplices relented.

This latest act of fiscal negligence comes while the nation is grappling with unprecedented levels of debt and a looming fiscal crisis.

Sen. Mike Lee voted against the bills to bankroll government operations until Sept. 30, as he expressed frustration with earmarks attached to the bills. Sen. Mitt Romney voted to close debate on the bill but had to miss the final vote, according to his spokesperson.

Yet, rather than taking a stand for responsible governance, Kean has once again chosen the path of least resistance, prioritizing short-term political expediency over the long-term financial well-being of the nation.

“It is particularly galling to witness Kean’s betrayal of conservative principles given the dire fiscal situation facing our country,” said one Flemington resident, who said Kean frequently disappoints the GOP base. “With a national debt that has skyrocketed to astronomical levels, the last thing the American people need is a congressman who is willing to rubber-stamp bloated spending bills without so much as a second thought.”

The bills fund several federal agencies, including transportation, veterans affairs, energy, agriculture, and a few others, until Sept. 30.

“What makes Kean’s decision even more egregious is the fact that he refused to entertain any amendments or proposals aimed at reining in government spending,” said a Republican voter from Clinton. “While some of his Republican colleagues pushed for common-sense measures to address the root causes of our fiscal woes, Kean shamefully chose to turn a blind eye, leaving taxpayers to foot the bill for Washington’s excesses.”

But perhaps most concerning is the signal that Kean’s vote sends to his constituents and the nation at large.

By aligning himself with the profligate spenders in Congress, Kean has effectively signaled that he is more interested in playing politics than in fulfilling his duty to represent the best interests of the American people.

As we hurtle towards an uncertain fiscal future, one thing is abundantly clear: Congressman Tom Kean Jr. has failed the taxpayers of this country.

His willingness to enable continued government spending at unsustainable levels is a dereliction of duty and a betrayal of the trust placed in him by the people of New Jersey.

It’s time for Kean to be held accountable for his actions and to start putting the interests of his constituents ahead of his own political ambitions.