The age of austerity in Washington is over.
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The victories didn’t always come smoothly.
He warned that Republicans who supported the measure will get grief from constituents when they go home.
Other extended tax cuts include breaks for some teachers, commuters, timber investors, electric vehicle owners and makers of hard cider drinks.
President Barack Obama hailed the measure and signed it into effect as he earlier said he would. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., and Rep. Harold Rogers, R-Ky., the chairmen of the Appropriations committees.
Aides said Democrats beat back about 150 policy riders that were proposed by the GOP. Missouri Republican voted for it; Democrat Claire McCaskill and Arkansas Republicans John Boozman voted against it. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sen.
The Democratic leaders, Nancy Pelosi of California in the House and Harry Reid of Nevada in the Senate, complained about a provision lifting the 4-decade-old ban on exporting crude oil and the legislation’s failure to address Puerto Rico’s fiscal woes, which Ryan pledged to tackle next year instead.
On Friday, several conservatives expressed disappointment over a year that ended with passage of a spending bill funding many of Obama’s priorities while excluding their own, including curbs on Syrian refugee resettlement in the U.S. The speaker said the dynamic will shift once that sorts itself out, but he’ll remain positive and concentrate on framing an agenda that contrasts how Republicans will lead the country.
“This omnibus bill does nothing to curtail Washington’s out-of-control spending”.
“The product we’re delivering this year is very bad”, groused GOP Rep. Dave Brat of Virginia.
Their opposition puts them at odds with the White House, which on Wednesday announced its support for the tax bill as well as the spending bill. That forced GOP leaders to rely on the votes of Democrats, who insisted on a boost in nondefense budgets. But ultimately most House Democrats and Republicans voted for it, 316-113.
And it notably left out any language aimed at defunding women’s health care provider Planned Parenthood, which has been at the center of a year-long row over the group providing fetal tissue to research organizations. “Anything punitive towards business got watered down”.
Dealmakers and congressional leaders worked overtime this week, cajoling members on both sides into backing the huge legislation. All of those breaks had expired at the end of 2014. The spending bill not only prevents a government shutdown until next fall, but it also contains a few policy provisions.
Together with the tax package the deal is one of the last big legislative efforts before the 2016 election. Lawmakers also reauthorized the Export-Import Bank for four years. The measure has already been passed in the Senate.
Congress passed a sweeping budget deal on Friday with bipartisan majorities, averting a government shutdown. Low interest rates have helped, holding down government borrowing costs, but that might change now that the Federal Reserve has started raising rates.
Included in the fiscal deal is a package of tax breaks worth $680 billion and a $66 increase in federal spending, divided equally between military and non-military programs.
Crop-insurance subsidies are a case in point.
The idea had support from leaders in both parties. Everyone, according to the Speaker, approached the negotiations “with professionalism” but said they are still getting to know each other.
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“This was a big page-turning exercise to get us on the right track to regular order next year”, Ryan told reporters Friday.
