After President Barack Obama on Monday signed into law an $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill that will fund federal government operations through September, WTTW hosted members of Illinois’ congressional delegation from both sides of the aisle for discussions of compromise on the bill.
While speaking on “Chicago Tonight” on Wednesday, Democratic U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley (Ill.) said the bill was a major win for his Chicago-area constituents. Quigley explained that the measure provides funding for public transit infrastructure updates and for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District to implement much needed flood-prevention controls. The congressman, though, did express disappointment that funding to soundproof homes near O’Hare Airport was not included in the legislation.
During the program’s Tuesday episode, Republican U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock (Ill.) noted that the omnibus spending measure elicited mixed responses from Democrats and Republicans alike. In a reversal of the usual trend, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) stood in opposition to President Barack Obama and voted against the bill while Shock, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and several other Republicans voted with the president on the spending plan, the representative for the 18th District pointed out on Tuesday.
Quigley recalled advice from then-U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) in explaining his thoughts on the legislation.
“When I was [first] sworn in in a special election, Congressman Mark Kirk came to me on the floor, … and he reminded me of something,” Quigley explained. “He said, ‘Everything in history that has ever actually passed this House, everything that actually has ever gotten done, got done in the middle.’”
As U.S. Congress is scheduled to reconvene in about two weeks with Republican majorities in both chambers, Schock said on “Chicago Tonight” that lawmakers’ negotiation on this week’s spending bill should be an example for how lawmakers from both parties can work together moving forward.
“If we’re going to get things done next year, I think it’s a template for how congressional Republicans are going to have to negotiate, and likewise the president is going to have to give and take in order for us to get things done for the taxpayers who elected us,” Schock said.
-Tom Butala