Who Wrote the Omnibus? Four Lawmakers, Many Lobbyists

The ugly work that went into the massive pork-filled omnibus spending bill snaking its way through congress is now starting to be exposed.

And it’s not for the faint at heart-- members of congress had little input in the bill and, in many cases, didn’t even know what was in it.

Senator Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Republican of Alabama, in a blistering interview Thursday night, shed some light on the details.

According to Sessions, lawmakers found out what was in the bill by talking to lobbyists, who had a better idea than they did as to what was being included in the bill. “No member of even the House and Senate knew what was going on,” he told Portland, Oregon talk show host Lars Larson. “Special interests did because we heard from lobbyists what some things were being considered.”

Sessions went on to note that basically four members of congress put the deal together without consulting their colleagues. “It’s not right for ultimately four members, in secret — for reasons we have no understanding of — to make critical decisions on things,” he said.

Sessions also bristled and how the bill was quickly presented to members of congress with little time to consider it.

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