Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh drilled down on Vice President Mike Pence over budget bill concessions to Democrats on funding for a border wall, sanctuary cities, and Planned Parenthood.
When Pence called into Limbaugh's daily show Tuesday to defend the $1 trillion budget deal, Limbaugh scolded the vice president, saying: "You guys were sent there to drain the swamp."
"If I'm the Democrats, $21 billion, $15 billion for defense that was not originally authorized — that's a small price to pay for continuing to fund refugee resettlement, continuing to fund Planned Parenthood, continuing to fund sanctuary cities, continuing to fund the [Environmental Protection Agency], and not build the wall," Limbaugh said.
He railed President Donald Trump's agenda is virtually ignored in the funding deal.
"The Democrats clearly think this is a big win, and they're confident they can block Trump's agenda after this spending bill for the rest of Trump's term," Limbaugh said. "There isn't anything of the president's agenda in this budget, and people are beginning to ask, when's that gonna happen? If you're gonna shut it down in September, why not now?"
"If you complain about 60 votes today, why not go budget reconciliation for 51 votes and smoke 'em?" he added.
Pence argued, however, getting Democrats to agree to $21 billion in new defense spending in a short-term budget bill is a big win for Republicans – and said the budget includes the largest increase in border security funding in a decade.
But when Pence told Limbaugh to wait until next fall to see more of "President Trump's leadership priorities," Limbaugh pounced.
"Mr. Vice President, we have been told this for 15 years: 'We'll get 'em next time,'" Limbaugh said. "After every continuing resolution, we bite the dust. 'We'll get 'em next time;' we'll kick the can down the road; we'll get 'em next time."
"You guys were sent there to drain the swamp," he added. "There's a clear Trump agenda that just isn't seeable. It's not visible in this budget, and some people are getting concerned that there's more concern for bipartisanship and crossing the aisle, working with Democrats, than there is in draining the swamp and actually peeling away all of the roughage that is preventing actually moving forward here on so many of these issues that affect people domestically."