House Republicans have surrendered the power of the purse by ramming through another stopgap funding bill that simply extends the bloated status quo past the midterms. This maneuver avoids any real confrontation with runaway spending and leaves the Senate room to water down even modest restraints, ensuring Washington’s unchecked growth continues uninterrupted. Voters deserve leaders willing to force debate on actual appropriations rather than hide behind political calendars. The Constitution assigns Congress sole authority over spending precisely to prevent perpetual government expansion at the expense of individual liberty. Annual appropriations were meant to compel regular scrutiny of priorities, not endless continuing resolutions that shield bureaucrats from accountability. Federalism and limited government both suffer when one party’s reluctance to fight allows the administrative state to operate on autopilot. True conservatives will not accept delay as a substitute for restraint.