WASHINGTON, D.C. — Rep. Douglas Holt (R-OH), 58, held a press conference Tuesday to champion the Fiscal Responsibility and American Renewal Act of 2026, a 847-page omnibus bill he co-sponsored last Thursday and has not opened.

Holt, flanked by two aides who had also not read it, described the legislation as “exactly what hardworking families need right now,” before pausing to confirm with staff that it was, in fact, a domestic spending bill and not the infrastructure package from February.

Asked by a reporter what the bill’s primary mechanism for deficit reduction was, Holt said it was “a great question” and that his office would follow up. His office has not followed up.

“I have read the title. I have read the acronym we made from the title. I believe in both of them deeply.”

“Look, nobody reads these things,” said Rep. Carol Fenn (D-MA), 61, who co-sponsored the same bill. “What matters is that we’re moving it forward. Or possibly backward. My staff is looking into that.”

A Congressional Research Service analyst who reviewed the bill noted that pages 340 through 412 appear to have been copied from a 2009 highway appropriations bill with the word “highway” replaced by “family.” The bill currently has 34 co-sponsors.

At press time, Holt had posted a three-minute video to social media calling the bill “transformational,” using the word six times while a staffer off-camera could be seen speed-reading page one.