The tally is in, and President Barack Obama is on most Americans’ naughty list this year, while Republican White House candidate Donald Trump is on the nice list. It was down to $439 billion for the fiscal year that ended September 30.
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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.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo hailed “a long-overdue victory for the more than 56,000 9/11 responders and survivors in NY state today”.
“I do want to thank Congress for ending the year on a high note”, Obama said. “It’s a total and complete win for the heroes who risked their lives to save others after the worst terrorist attack in our history”.
Members of Congress this week approved a tax and a spending bill to keep the federal government in operation for the remainder of this fiscal year.
Together with the tax package the deal is one of the last big legislative efforts before the 2016 election. The Republicans claimed a major victory with a lifted ban on oil exportation from the U.S.
“They had to put big oil in the omnibus” to get the spending measure passed, Pelosi told reporters Friday before the vote.
Congress on Friday sent President Barack Obama a bipartisan but deficit draining year-end budget package that boosts federal agency spending and awards tax cuts to both families and a sweeping array of business interests. House Speaker Paul Ryan called the deal a bipartisan success – but also said he didn’t have much leeway in making the legislation more conservative-friendly or giving lawmakers more time to chew it over.
But tea party lawmakers were dismayed by the burst of spending and a lack of wins for conservatives. “It was a good win”. “At least in the House”.
Iowa’s two senators, Republicans Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, opposed the measure.
U.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) (L) listens to U.S. Representative Nita Lowey (D-NY) …
That trend reversed itself today, as a majority in both parties voted in favour of the measure. The tax deal makes permanent a number of temporary tax credits – notably the enhanced-child tax credit, earned-income tax credit, and the research and development credit for businesses.
The omnibus passed the House with overwhelming bipartisan approval earlier in the day while the Protecting Americans From Tax Hikes Act made it through the lower chamber Thursday. Marco Rubio of Florida didn’t show up to vote.
In the House, 150 Republicans and 166 Democrats voted for the measure, while 95 Republicans and 18 Democrats opposed it. Ryan relied on Democratic votes to help pass the measure as Boehner often had to do.
“This is a bill that protects America, rebuilds it, and invests in the future”, she said. Ted Cruz of Texas and Rand Paul of Kentucky voted against the package, as did Sen. Then, Congress would adjourn until January.
Many on each side saw the budget deal as the best they could get under divided government.
In the Senate, Armed Services Chairman John McCain, R-Ariz., was a notable “nay” because appropriators overrode a Russian rocket engine ban his committee included in the 2016 defense policy bill – and because of the bill’s “wasteful, unnecessary and inappropriate pork-barrel projects”. The spending bill not only prevents a government shutdown until next fall, but it also contains a few policy provisions.
The “Cadillac Tax” on premium healthcare plans is postponed, along with the medical device tax which was placed under a moratorium for two years.
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But they boasted of using their leverage, veto threats from Obama and the GOP’s craving for the oil export ban to extract numerous concessions from Republicans, including five-year extensions of solar and wind tax credits, a top goal for Reid.
