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WASHINGTON — Right before Christmas, the US House passed a whopping $1.7 trillion spending bill to fund the government for the next fiscal year.

It’s one of the largest spending bills ever passed and has many Republicans like Congresswoman Victoria Spartz of Indiana saying it is indicative of a greater spending problem in Washington.

“We do have some spending we have to do to provide national security and to provide the protections of people’s rights,” Spartz told Indy Politics. “But we’re not spending lots of money on this. We’re spending on many pet projects and many wishful thinking things that are expensive.”

Spartz said the House is not doing its job in curtailing rising spending which in turn, she says, is not helping when it comes to stopping inflation.

In like manner, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul came out this week with his “Festivus Report.” He identified nearly half a trillion dollars-worth of wasted taxpayer resources. Senator Paul pointed to massive pieces of legislation passed this year, including the Inflation Reduction Act and the omnibus spending package, as major sources of what he sees as federal waste.

President Biden says he will sign the bill once it reaches his desk.