Editor,

I hate to be a spoilsport, but most people already know that I am. U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., voted in support of the fiscal-year
2016 Omnibus Appropriations bill to provide funding for the federal government for the current year at $1.1 trillion. The legislation does accomplish a few good things, but it funds many bad government programs and increases spending and the debt.

It repeals the crude oil export ban, and it prohibits new funding for Obamacare, which is good. It prevents the transfer of Guantanamo detainees, but the bill allows for the ongoing transfer of these detainees to other countries so that they can come back and attack the U.S.

The bill does not restrict Department of Homeland Security grants to cities that resist the enforcement of federal immigration law, also known as sanctuary cities. This bill is a blank check for the president to carry out his refugee resettlement plans while making it easier for travelers who visited Iraq and Syria to obtain visa waivers.

The bill would continue to allow hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer funds to flow to Planned Parenthood. It provides a ramp-up in Department of Energy’s wasteful spending for renewable energy rather than allowing the private sector to develop this energy. The bill allows funding for Waters of the United States rule, which would expand the types of waters that could be covered under the Clean Water Act, from certain man-made ditches to so-called “waters” that are actually dry land most of the time.

It also repeals the Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling requirements for certain meat products because of pressure from Canada and Mexico. I don’t know about you, but I would like to know where my food comes from. Tucked into the deal is a bill known as the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act, which gives the government even more flexibility to collect massive amounts of information on its citizens.

Rep. Carter says that this legislation restores funding for our military, protects the Second Amendment rights of all Americans by prohibiting the U.N. Arms Trade Treaty and provides continued funding for the SavannahHarbor Expansion Project. All of these projects could be handled by separate bills, which he could have introduced.

Is this why we elected Buddy Carter, or did we want him to stop the wasteful spending in Washington along with the many stupid programs that this bill continues or expands?

Len Calderone, Midway