U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye is chiding his Senate colleagues for shelving an omnibus spending measure in favor of a short-term resolution keeping expenditures at current levels.

In a Senate floor speech Friday, the Democratic chairman of the Appropriations Committee noted that Republicans who helped craft the 1,900-page bill were now opposing it.

He says the measure was huge because it contains spending provisions that normally are in 12 separate bills.

The senator also contends Congress is abdicating its constitutional duties by seeking a continuing resolution rather than a measure that reflects the current priorities of the executive and legislative branches.

He says voters in November were not sending a message to eliminate earmarks.