Shut It Down — AI Exposes Hidden Pork in Congress’s Controversial Spending Package

According to reports, the U.S. government is teetering on the brink of yet another shutdown, with the funding deadline looming large on Dec. 20, 2024. The proposed funding bill has stirred up quite the controversy, packed as it is with what many call pork. The bill also sneakily tucks in a $70,000 salary bump for Congressional members.

Congress Puts Pork on the Menu: $70K Pay Raise Hidden in Controversial Spending Bill

The folks in Washington are at it again, and the American public is not exactly thrilled with U.S. Congress members as they dance on the edge of another government shutdown. Without a new funding plan, we’re looking at a government snooze fest starting at midnight on Dec. 21, 2024. There’s a colossal clash between Democrats and Republicans, especially over the Continuing Resolution (CR) meant to keep the government’s lights on, at least for a while.

Of course, Democrats claim Republicans are throwing shade on the bill because, allegedly, they’re not in it for the American people. But despite all the so-called heartfelt speeches from the left, they’re not tackling the elephant in the room: the special interest goodies and pork barrel projects stuffed into this bill. For example, it’s got plans for a shiny new football stadium in D.C., the revival of the Global Engagement Center, policy actions for “Pandemic Preparedness and Response,” and, oh yeah, a sweet $70,000 pay raise for Congress.

This bill is like a treasure chest of spending with funding for at least 12 new biolabs, a whopping $1.4 billion for International Security Cooperation Programs, and a sneaky clause allowing Congress members to dodge Obamacare. It also earmarks $2.9 billion to champion democratic governance, $315 million for the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), and splashes out $5.6 billion on Virginia class submarines. Sure, there’s some cash for Hurricane relief, but a lot of folks argue that much of it is just plain old wasteful spending.

Plus, with this bill being so massive, a ton of Americans are turning to artificial intelligence (AI) to dissect it piece by piece. “Grok says a normal human would need 7 eight-hour days to read and understand the 1,500+ page spending bill,” on X user wrote this week. “Thanks to AI it’s now impossible to hide pork in a bill,” explained Preston Byrne. “You can analyze and extract the worst parts of any 1,500 page law, prep a pressure campaign and launch it – in minutes, not weeks.”

On top of that, there’s a whole bunch of folks who are not exactly jumping for joy over Speaker Mike Johnson pushing this bill through. “I had hoped to see Speaker Johnson grow a spine, but this bill full of pork shows he is a weak, weak man,” the Kentucky Senator Rand Paul remarked. “The debt will continue to grow. Ultimately the dollar will fail. Democrats are clueless and Big Gov Republicans are complicit. A sad day for America.”

Fingers crossed, many are hoping government’s big spenders can get their act together and cut out all that pork from the bill. The ongoing tussle over this spending bill not only sheds light on the persistent rift in U.S. politics but also signals a rising call from the public for some fiscal responsibility. With artificial intelligence making quick work of dissecting legislative texts, the spotlight on government spending is only going to get brighter, nudging lawmakers to tackle the growing discontent among voters.

As the Dec. 20 funding deadline ticks closer, Congress is feeling the heat to bridge their political divides and regain the public’s faith. Beyond the bill’s controversies, a bigger question lingers: how much longer can this unchecked spending spree go on before we hit some serious economic bumps? Right now, the American public is all eyes, waiting to see if their leaders will choose responsibility over partisanship.