Tuberville votes against $1.27 Trillion Spending Bill

On Saturday, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) voted no on the $1.27 trillion spending bill to avoid a partial government shutdown. Tuberville said that, "The status quo is unsustainable."

"This 1,000-page, $1.2 trillion bill was delivered without adequate time to review and is packed with wasteful spending and budget gimmicks that try to hide the true cost," said Sen. Tuberville. "Our nation is nearly $35 trillion in debt. We've got to get a handle on our spending, and this bill is all talk and no action. This bill fails to take any meaningful steps to address the most pressing crisis our country is facing – the invasion of illegal immigrants and drugs at the southern border.

Tuberville also was angry that they were not allowed to amend the bill which came from the House on Friday night hours before a pending government shutdown deadline.

"Democrats also did everything in their power to stop us from debating important amendments," explained Tuberville.

The Tuberville amendment would protect female athletes by keeping men out of women's sports. Sen. Tuberville originally introduced the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act in 2022, but Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) has refused to bring it to the floor for a vote. The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act would preserve Title IX protections for female athletes and ensure fair, safe competition in women's sports across the country.

"I still can't believe we're having serious conversations about men competing in women's sports," Tuberville said when he introduced his amendment. "We've lost our minds."

"All 51 Democrats blocked my amendment that would protect female athletes by keeping men out of women's sports," Tuberville said after Senate Democrats rejected the measure.

Senator Tuberville's legislation would counteract the Biden administration's plans to force institutions to allow biological males to compete in women's sports and share locker rooms with females.

Tuberville was also concerned that the spending bill does not address the ongoing crisis at the U.S. southern border. It also did not make any progress towards balancing the federal budget at any point in the foreseeable future.

"For these reasons, I voted no," Tuberville explained. "The status quo is unsustainable, and this bill is more of the same. It paves the way for America's continued decline."

The federal government is spending $6.5 trillion a year (and climbing). With a booming economy and low unemployment, the federal government has record revenues of $4.7 trillion a year. This means that the federal government is borrowing $1,8 trillion a year – all of which is adding to the $34.6 trillion that the federal government already owes. Interest on the debt is costing $791 billion a year.

The Congress now has to prepare and pass the 12 appropriations bills for the 2025 fiscal year budget by September 30 or this budget cliff cycle will begin anew with more continuing resolutions and omnibus spending bills.

Tommy Tuberville was elected to the Senate in 2020.

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