So this is a frequent reaction to these giant "Christmas Tree" bills, but it's off target for the vast majority of the included items. Many of these legislators will gladly and gleefully take credit for these items!
https://twitter.com/Bugs_Meany/status/1341104376207859712
The major reason why these bills get loaded up is that the Senate barely passes any standalone legislation any more, save for the most innocuous items. That creates massive pressure to hitch a ride on items that do move, like this one.
Yes, part of it is the choice of @senatemajldr to focus on nominations; part of it is the mutual partisan gamesmanship that have weaponized Senate rules; part of it is one obstreperous senator can slow things down.
But it is also not correct that these items are coming out of nowhere. In many cases, they are the result of months or years of lobbying, committee work and public advocacy. And now they are finally hitching a ride on a vehicle that will be signed into law.
For instance: Seeing a lot of tweets about the Tibet provisions -- which is a bill intro'd by @RepMcGovern more than a year ago and passed by the House 392-22 in January. But it's not tenable to soak up a week of Senate floor time for a bill like that, and now here we are.
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