The Daily Signal - TOP NEWS |Senate Passes $1.85 Trillion Spending Package, Kremlin Responds to Zelenskyy’s Visit to U.S., Winter Story Jeopardizes Christmas Travel | Dec. 22

Episode Date: December 22, 2022

On today’s Daily Signal Top News, we break down: The Senate passes a $1.85 trillion spending package.  The federal government leaves a hospital in Yuma, Arizona with a $20 million bill for illegal aliens. The Kremlin issues a warning following Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy’s visit to the U.S.  The life expectancy for Americans born in 2021 hits a new 25-year-low. A massive winter storm is sweeping across the U.S. and disrupting Christmas travel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I'm John Pop. I'm Virginia Allen. And this is the Daily Signal Top News for Thursday, December 22nd. Here are today's headlines. The Senate just passed a massive $1.85 trillion omnibus spending package one day before its deadline. The bill passed 68 to 29. The 18 Republican senators who reportedly voted for the bill include Roy Blunt of Missouri, John Booseman of Arkansas, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia,

Susan Collins of Maine, John Cornett of Texas, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Lindsay Graham of South Carolina, Jim Inhoff of Oklahoma, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Jerry Moran of Kansas, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Rob Portman of Ohio, Mitt Romney of Utah, Mike Rounds of South Dakota, Richard Shelby of Alabama, John Thune of South Dakota, Roger Wicker of Mississippi, and Todd Young of Indiana. The bill now heads to the house where it's expected to pass this evening or tomorrow. the Senate Press Gallery reported. Matthew Dickerson, director of the Heritage Foundation's Budget Center, told the Daily Signal, this massive omnibus bill would cost taxpayers about $1.9 trillion

next year at a time when American families are hurting from high inflation, and the government is already $31 trillion in debt. It's filled with woke earmarks and advances the left's big government policy agenda. The Senate vote was initially delayed because of a dispute over immigrant. The New York Times reports that Senator Mike Lee, who has been one of the most vocal opponents of the bill, along with Senators Rick Scott and Rand Paul, demanded a vote on an amendment that would essentially tie some funds for the Department of Homeland Security to the continuation of pandemic era border restrictions that a majority of Democrats oppose. A group of House conservatives promised earlier this week to oppose and stymie the legislative priorities of any Republican senator who, votes in favor of the $1.85 trillion omnibus spending bill this week. In their Monday letter, 13 House Conservatives vowed to oppose and whip opposition to any legislative priority of those

senators who vote for this bill, including the Republican leader. House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy promised to enforce the Conservatives' demand if elected Speaker of the 118th Congress. Title 42 could expire any day now. That's the policy that went into effect under the Trump administration and has allowed the border patrol to quickly turn illegal migrants away at the border. Title 42 is caught up in litigation right now, but if it does expire, we're likely going to see an increase in the number of illegal aliens crossing the border. One hospital in Yuma County, Arizona is expecting that an expiration of Title 42 will bear a great. great burden on their hospital system. The hospital said that they are already owed $20 million for treatments to migrants and cannot continue to provide free health care to legal aliens.

I spoke yesterday with the president and CEO of Yuma Regional Medical Center, Dr. Robert Treshel. He told me that in a six-month period from December of 2021 to May 2022, they had 20 million in charges that they are not able to bill anyone for. Those are charges for services just provided to illegal migrants. The medical services have ranged from dialysis to heart surgery, and many of the patients have been pregnant women. The hospital's maternity unit even hit 125% capacity and had to delay scheduled inductions for locals due to the number of illegal migrants coming to the hospital. I asked Dr. Treshel what the hospital needs right now, and he says just someone to pay the bill. They need a payer source, he told me, but the federal government, so far, has refused to pick up the tab.

The entire Yuma sector of the border is experiencing heightened numbers of migrants crossing right now. U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Yuma Sector, Arizona, covers over 181,000 square miles near the southern border. Border Patrol agents in that sector are responsible for protecting 126 miles along our border with Mexico. I spoke with Jonathan Lines. He's a member of the Yuma County Board of Supervisors, and he told me that the processing center in Yuma is estimated right now to be at 170 to 180% capacity. It's one processing center, and it's a stand-up facility, and it's probably costing the taxpayers $7 to $10 million. a week. Line says that if Title 42 is lifted soon, which it is expected to be, it will completely break the system.

On the heels of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to Washington, D.C., the Kremlin says a long war is still ahead. Moscow said both Kyiv and its Western allies should be set for a long confrontation with Russia. Zelensky is returning to Ukraine with a commitment of a new $1.8 billion aid package, from America. The package includes a commitment for the Pentagon to send a missile defense system known as the Patriot to Ukraine. The device is one of the most sophisticated in the world at intercepting missiles. Russian's foreign ministry spokesperson, Maria Zackarova, said that regardless of the amount of support the West gives to Ukraine, they will achieve nothing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are reporting that life expectancy in America

has hit a new 25-year low. The life expectancy for Americans born in 2021 is now 76.4 years. That's the lowest since 1996. So the question is, why the decline and why now? The CDC is blaming two factors. First, the COVID-19 pandemic. And second, a growth in drug addictions and substance abuse. Drug overdose is now the leading cause of death in American. ages 18 to 45, according to the CDC. But still, cancer and heart disease are two of the most common killers in America. Oh, the weather outside is frightful. You know the song.

The weather is frightful outside as a massive winter storm sweeps across the country just days before Christmas. CNBC reports that airlines are canceling over 3,000 flights from yesterday through tomorrow due to the storm. President Biden warned Americans earlier today to take this storm extremely seriously and encouraged everyone to heed the local warnings. 30 states are estimated to be impacted by the storm, according to the independent and roughly 200 million people. The National Weather Service tweeted on Wednesday, an Arctic front will continue widespread, dangerous cold with areas of blinding snow squalls and flash freezing over the central, then eastern U.S., through the rest of this week. A strong winter storm will form on its front with blizzard conditions.

And that'll do it for today's episode. Today's show is the last top news edition of 2022. We are off tomorrow and next week to enjoy some time with family for Christmas. But tomorrow morning, we are bringing you a daily sleep mill interview right here on the show. I'm going to be sitting down with Senior Research Fellow for International Affairs and National Security here at the Heritage Foundation, Victoria Coates, to discuss the the big takeaways from Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to DC this week. And all next week, every morning, even though we don't have top news, we're still going to be bringing you our interview edition.

We're doing one of our favorite things that we love to do here at the Daily Signal podcast. We're taking a look back at this previous year and all of our favorite conversations. So we have selected five of our and your top podcast conversations from 2022. and every morning we're going to be bringing you one of those new shows. So be sure to tune in and check those out all of next week between Christmas and New Year's. You will love it. In the meantime, make sure you subscribe to the Daily Signal wherever you get your podcast and help us reach more listeners by leaving a five-star rating and a review.

We read all your feedback. All right. Well, we will be back with you on Tuesday, January 3rd for top news, but we'll see you in the week between Christmas and New Year's first. special interview additions as we look back at the best of 2022. Have a wonderful and very Merry Christmas. The Daily Signal podcast is brought to you by more than half a million members of the Heritage Foundation. Executive producers are Rob Blewey and Kate Trinko. Producers are Virginia Allen, Samantha Acheris, and Jillian Richards. Sound design by Lauren Evans, Mark Geinney, and John Pop. To learn more,

please visit DailySignal.com.