The United States Senate has adjourned for the holidays, it seems, and once more, they have walked away and left a major spending bill on the table. This latest effort would fund several major federal departments, including the War Department, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Commerce, Justice, Interior, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development.
But Democrats refused to go along with the effort, and a big part of the reason had to do with - you guessed it - a Colorado lab studying climate change.
Lawmakers have spent the last month since the government shutdown building consensus on a five-bill spending package that would go a long way toward preventing another one come Jan. 30.
The package would have funded the departments of Defense, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Commerce, Justice, Interior, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, which represent a massive chunk of Congress’ overall funding responsibilities.
But a deal never materialized, and the lights of the Senate chamber went out for the last time of the year as lawmakers beelined from Washington, D.C., back to their home districts. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., remained hopeful that when the Senate returned, Democrats would cross the aisle to finish the job.
"The Democrats are indicating that they want to do them, they just didn't want to do them today," Thune said. "So hopefully, when we get back, we'll test that proposition, and hope that we'll take them to face value, and hopefully we'll get moving, and get moving quickly, because we've got a lot to do."
What Democrats indicate and what Democrats do are frequently not the same thing, especially where spending is concerned. In fact, where Democrats and spending are concerned, you can always sum them up with one word: "More."
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Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine, told Fox News Digital that Republicans had cleared the decks on their end after several weeks of holds on the package from fiscal hawks demanding amendment votes on earmarks, among other thorny issues.
When asked if Senate Democrats would play ball, she said, "I don’t know."
"I’m about to call one of the people," Collins said before ducking into her office.
When she emerged, Collins said that there was only one hold left. And that last remaining blockage appeared to be from Sens. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., and Michael Bennet, D-Colo., who were incensed by the Trump administration’s plan to break up the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colo.
On Wednesday, Director of the Office of Management and Budget Russ Vought indicated that the NCAR was going to be broken up. Colorado's Senators are opposing that effort, and trying to force a vote to keep it in place. Granted, they are trying to keep a major federal employer active in their state; one could argue that they are doing their duty by their constituents. But they sure aren't doing the rest of the nation's taxpayers any good.
The National Science Foundation will be breaking up the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado. This facility is one of the largest sources of climate alarmism in the country. A comprehensive review is underway & any vital activities such as weather…
— Russ Vought (@russvought) December 17, 2025
So, Colorado's Senators are willing to stall the funding package to force a "guaranteed outcome" on a vote. That's not going to happen.
Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought called the facility in a post on X "one of the largest sources of climate alarmism in the country," and vowed a comprehensive review was underway and that any "vital activities such as weather research will be moved to another entity or location."
Hickenlooper suggested that he and Bennet would lift their hold only if they received a guaranteed outcome on an amendment vote — a proposition Republicans have time and again this year for several other Democratic issues that they said they couldn’t do.
Not only can't they do it, but they also shouldn't do it. The NCAR is an executive branch function. Congress, yes, has control over funding, but any essential functions (if there are any) this lab carries out can be carried out by other personnel, in other locations, which is apparently precisely what President Trump wants to do.
For now, the Senate has adjourned. Senators will be buzzing back to their home states for the holidays. Once more, the work was left undone. Once more, another fight awaits them when they return. And once again, Democrats are throwing every roadblock they can at the GOP.
Editor’s Note: The Democrat Party has never been less popular as voters reject its globalist agenda.
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