In a display of bipartisan cooperation that has left many conservatives feeling betrayed, the House of Representatives passed a colossal $460 billion spending package on Wednesday. This decision has sparked intense criticism from members of the House Freedom Caucus and other conservative lawmakers, who argue that this marks a significant departure from the fiscal responsibility and conservative values promised to the American electorate.

The bill, which aims to fund part of the federal government for the remainder of fiscal year 2024, received overwhelming support from Democrats, with more voting in favor of it than Republicans. This move has further deepened the divide within the Republican majority and has drawn sharp rebuke from conservatives such as Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY). They and others have criticized the package as a “massive surrender” to Washington’s status quo, accusing their party of reverting to the same wasteful spending habits they had previously vowed to end.

Like a dog to its vomit (Proverbs 26:11), congressional Republicans have returned to earmarks.

This will not end well for the GOP.

We lose elections when we act like Democrats. https://t.co/iHeHpDR8ia

— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) March 7, 2024

Roy’s criticism was pointed and scathing: “At the beginning of this Congress, House Republicans set out to cut spending and end the Biden administration policies destroying the American people’s way of life and prosperity. This bill is a massive surrender to the swamp’s business as usual on both fronts.” Massie echoed this sentiment, condemning the bill for spending tens of billions more than last year and indicating a return to fiscal irresponsibility.

“The American people have HAD IT…with a Congress that REFUSES to do its job to check an executive which is lawless and out of control.”

🎥WATCH: Rep. Roy with @TeamCavuto on Republicans' failure to use the power of the purse pic.twitter.com/jRQOehvGam

— Rep. Chip Roy Press Office (@RepChipRoy) March 6, 2024

The package, a combination of six separate bills, was initially intended to avoid the tradition of massive omnibus spending bills, which combine numerous funding measures into one large bill. This practice has been criticized for years as it often leads to excessive spending and allows for little to no individual bill scrutiny. Despite intentions to break this cycle, the House Freedom Caucus and other conservatives argue that the new package is simply an omnibus by another name.

MEGABUS #1 is a massive spending bill with more than 6,000 earmarks. We should not be giving $12.7 billion to Congressional pork projects when we are $34 trillion in debt.https://t.co/OyMh9mVtKN

— Congressman Bob Good (@RepBobGood) March 6, 2024

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) defended the decision, pointing to the challenges of changing “Washington’s ingrained spending habits” and insisting that incremental reforms are necessary. However, this rationale has done little to quell the frustration among hardliners, who view the package as a betrayal of conservative principles and failing to implement significant spending cuts and policy reforms.

Today, the House Freedom Caucus released the following official position urging Republicans to vote against the omnibus and keep their promises to the American people. pic.twitter.com/zH5vMiOoU1

— House Freedom Caucus (@freedomcaucus) March 5, 2024

The discord centers not only on the package’s hefty price tag but also on its content. Critics argue that it fails to address critical Republican priorities, particularly concerning border security and immigration policies. According to the House Freedom Caucus, “Worst of all, the omnibus surrenders Republicans’ leverage to force radical Democrats to the table to truly secure the southern border and end the purposeful, dangerous mass release of illegal aliens into the United States.”

The bill now advances to the Senate, where it is expected to pass with some Republican support. Joe Biden will then happily sign the new spending boondoggle into law, adding freshly printed dollars to the mounting federal debt.