Congress OKs $1.14 trillion budget deal, sends to Obama
Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, R-Wis., strode to the House chamber as the House and Senate rushed to send President Barack Obama a massive budget package, at the Capitol in Washington, today. The House today easily passed a $1.14 trillion spending bill to fund the government through next September, capping a peaceful end to a yearlong struggle over the budget, taxes, and Republican demands of President Barack Obama. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, R-Wis., strode to the House chamber as the House and Senate rushed to send President Barack Obama a massive budget package, at the Capitol in Washington, today. The House today easily passed a $1.14 trillion spending bill to fund the government through next September, capping a peaceful end to a yearlong struggle over the budget, taxes, and Republican demands of President Barack Obama. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
WASHINGTON » Congress today 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.
A 65-33 Senate vote on the measure was the last act that shipped the measure, combining $1.14 trillion in new spending in 2016 and $680 billion in tax cuts over the coming decade, to Obama. It had earlier swept through the House on a pair of decisive votes on Thursday and today, marking a peaceful end to a yearlong struggle over the budget, taxes, and Republican efforts to derail his regulatory agenda.
Obama will sign the measure, which includes many of the spending increases he fought for all year and is largely cleansed of GOP attempts to block his moves on the environment, financial regulation, and consumer protection. Republicans won increases for the military and an end to a ban on exporting U.S. oil, as well as permanent tax cuts for business investment.
Republicans were evenly split with 27 of them voting in favor and 26 against the bill. Presidential contender Marco Rubio was absent. Only six Democrats and Independent Bernie Sanders, another presidential hopeful, voted against the measure.
With the votes, lawmakers wrapped up a surprisingly productive, bipartisan burst of late-session legislation in a divided Congress.
The measure received big bipartisan majorities in both House and Senate. It capped an impressive first few weeks for new Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., who got the benefit of the doubt from most Republicans, who by a wide margin opposed earlier legislation that established the framework for the budget package. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California, a key negotiator, swung forcefully behind the measure after showing initial frustration over its lifting of an oil export ban and lack of action on helping Puerto Rico address its fiscal woes.
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“They wanted big oil so much that they gave away the store,” Pelosi said. But she cited successes in driving away most GOP policy proposals from the measure. Democratic also pushed through higher domestic budgets and tax breaks for working families and renewable energy.
“This bipartisan compromise secures meaningful wins for Republicans and the American people, such as the repeal of the outdated, anti-growth ban on oil exports,” Ryan said, citing a large increase for the Pentagon and curbs on the activities of the Environmental Protection Agency and the IRS.
Some tea party lawmakers were dismayed by the burst of spending and a lack of wins for conservatives.
“There are so many things in this bill that will be surprising and shocking to the American people,” said Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C. “Maybe there is a Santa Claus. At least in the House.”
The House voted on the spending portion of the measure today, when it won support from House Republicans by a 150-95 margin. Democrats followed Pelosi’s lead and backed the bill by a 166-18 margin. In a procedural quirk, the House passed most of the tax cuts — virtually all of them financed with deficit dollars — on Thursday.
The bill extends more than 50 expiring tax cuts, with more than 20 becoming permanent, including credits for companies’ expenditures for research and equipment purchases and reductions for lower-earning families and households with children and college students.
The spending measure would fund the operations of every Cabinet agency. It awards increases of about 6 percent, on average, above tight spending caps that were a relic of a 2011 budget and debt deal — and were opposed by both GOP defense hawks and Democrats seeking boosts in domestic spending.
The House vote bundled with the spending measure a tax bill that passed on Thursday.
The budget pact was the last major item in a late-session flurry of bipartisanship in Washington, including easy passage of long-stalled legislation funding highway programs and a rewrite of education programs.
Many on each side saw the budget deal as the best they could get under divided government. The need to win Obama’s signature helped rid the measure of most of the controversial GOP provisions: killing federal money for Planned Parenthood, limiting the flow of Syrian refugees and undoing dozens of Obama actions on the environment, labor, financial regulation and relations with Cuba.
The measure contains large spending boosts for veterans and medical research, and funds a familiar roster of grants for transportation projects, first responders and community development.
It also clears away an almost $1 billion backlog of federal courthouse projects and sends hundreds of millions of dollars to the states and districts of a handful of powerful lawmakers such as Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., and Rep. Harold Rogers, R-Ky., the chairmen of the Appropriations committees.
Also crammed into the two bills are provisions trimming some of the levies that help finance Obama’s prized 2010 health care overhaul. The White House opposed the rollbacks, but Republicans and many Democrats savored them. A tax on medical devices would be suspended for two years, a levy on health insurers would stop for a year and, in a victory for unions, a tax on higher-cost insurance policies would be postponed two years until 2020.
In exchange for ending the oil export ban, Democrats won extensions of tax breaks for alternative power sources such as solar and wind energy.
Other extended tax cuts include breaks for some teachers, commuters, timber investors, electric vehicle owners and makers of hard cider drinks. People in the seven states without income taxes will be able to deduct local sales taxes on their federal returns.
Associated Press writer Alan Fram contributed to this report.
37 responses to “Congress OKs $1.14 trillion budget deal, sends to Obama”
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What propaganda. You failed to mention that the AFL-CIO is against this as it opens the flood gates for low wage/educated immigrants to enter the Country, taking jobs from the most vulnerable Americans. Or the BILLIONS that will go toward housing and other benefits for immigrants while American homeless suffer. Or the sharing of personal info between social media sites like facebook and the government. Or the fact that this 2000 plus page bill was dumped on Congress mere days before the vote.
You ask a lot of questions. Where should we begin from?
Does the Congress even care? I am saddened by the actions and can see where the future holds for us which isn’t good at all. There was a time when illegal meant every inch of the word. Auwe!
Too bad, it’s our own fault for voting for the idiots over and over after repeated failures to deliver promises broken and instead enact bills to suit their hidden agenda. Until we oust these scoundrels the situation will remain status quo. Big Union and lobbyist dictate the policies and our representatives are beholden to them for accepting donations from their super packs. Election rules have to have major overhaul.
There are no “hidden agendas” here. The gorilla in the omnibus negotiations was Big Oil, which owns the Republican Party. All of the negotiations revolved around satisfying Big Oil, so much so that Republicans were willing to give up many of their favorite causes to appease the oil companies which bought their loyalty. Now, after adding nearly a trillion to the deficit, Republicans will wash the budgetary blood off their hands, absolve themselves of their financial sins, and, once again, campaign in 2016 as self-described deficit hawks.
good points. Republicans were really never for a balanced budget except rhetorically. They want government to be big and serve the interests of their oil and big business funders. It was all a shibai.
“Obama will sign the measure, which includes many of the spending increases he fought for all year and is largely cleansed of GOP attempts to block his moves on the environment, financial regulation, and consumer protection.” bsdetection, I think it was Obama who added to the deficit. The key word in the quote, “increases”.
Laughable. You know the arb between US Oil (WTI) and International (Brent) is now closed and will likely be for the foreseeable future as US production decreases accuse of Saudi Strategy, therefore making US oil more expensive than Brent. Only marginal barrels of US oil will be exported and “Big Oil” also includes the refiners who dont want US crude exports.
Andy Ryan was supposed to be the solution to this kind of mess. It’s always gonna be “the next guy” that’s supposed to give us hope. DONE with the next guy…the status quo. DONE with status quo. Voting for the “chaos candidate” then. Trump is MY revenge.
Some of you rather complain about the unions than to see our money stay in this country by bring the jobs back home.
Now to exam the fine print of this deal. You know, the one with the asterick?
I don’t if it’s me or What ! On this deal? Seems like the Republicans got the shorter END of the Stick . It also seems like they can’t pass a single bill,without combining it with some other bills…..just to get theirs to PASS! Terrible negotiators! Ryan,Said “Well you have to give up some things to get what you want! It’s a Give and Take”!….Really? Nobody said you had to give away the store too!!
1.14 Trillion dollars….BTW. Is “Global Warming” part of this Deal….You know where the less fortunate countries around the world get a 100 Billion dollars EACH…Maybe I should create my own country just to get that 100 Billion too? Ha!ha!ha! And Planned Parenthood? I read earlier(Not here),that it was part of this deal and they will continue to get funded by the tax payers?? Is that correct?
Brahhhhh! At this point….
Can somebody please tell Paul Ryan, to just hand over the reigns back to Nancy Polosi. Even with all her Quirky lunacy (not sure if that’s a WORD) she & Obama continuously beat the inept Republicans time and time again. Her’s what i would say: Eh Paul? … That HAMMER you’re holding .just give it back to……Nancy Polosi ,she IS a better deal maker than you. IMUA
Good to finally see the Republicans releasing tax money to pay for our debt that is needed to operate this country.
Our country may never see another balanced budget again. Unless we experience a huge surge in our economy (not likely) the current growth is totally unable to finance both the non-discretionary spending (interest on debt, social security, medicare, etc.) and the type of infrastructure improvements (roads, bridges, electrical grid, etc.) that our country absolutely needs. Even though I strongly believe that the current distribution of wealth in our country is a problem (any decrease in our middle class is a problem for all), I also know that taking money from the wealthy is not a sustainable strategy to fix this problem.
Taking money from the uber wealthy may be preferable than putting their heads on pikes which has traditionally happened in the past once the lower classes revolt.
http://fortune.com/2014/10/31/inequality-wealth-income-us/
Some of the uber wealthy have realized this. Maybe why some of the billionaires are dedicated to giving away their wealth. Historically, things do not go well for the uber rich during extreme stratification of wealth once everyone else realizes just how rigged things really are.
We will see what happens first in Russia as they are a magnification of our own problems. A small percentage of the US population owns a majority of the wealth, but at least they aren’t a small fraction of 1%. Russia, has less than 200 people who own most of the wealth.
We can soapbox all we want about ideologies, but history does not suggest all of the rich survive with their heads.
I think that the Über Mensch uses “über” a little too much. Once may underline a point but “super” works just fine for the rest. (Sorry, I’m a writer.)
Well, in this case it does apply. There’s this video representing $10,000 in little blocks and shows just how stratified wealth has become in this country. The poor have one block…and towards the end it takes a minute to show the stacks of the money the top 10% of the top 1% have.
No, you just enjoy pointing out perceived flaws and criticizing other people. I bet you have lots of friends huh.
I’m not saying that the super wealthy shouldn’t pay more, what I’m saying is, if that’s most of your strategy for the future, it’s not sustainable. Economic growth of 2%, what we’re currently experiencing, is way below what’s needed. We also have a huge problem of the dumbing of America. Percentage wise, kids now are not graduating from high school and colleges at a rate that can sustain the economy. Whether it’s due to poor schools, laziness or whatever, it doesn’t really matter. A workforce only capable of working in hospitality and food service is not going to move this country forward.
Well, we need to reorient the economy so that wealth at its creation is more evenly distributed. Taking wealth from those who already have it won’t fix the core problem that wealth at its origination is unevenly distributed. The real problem with America is that we are losing our ability to move economic classes. That suggests there is a problem with opportunity rather than outcomes. Once we have locked stratified economic classes, we will start to see serious societal upheavals. America must maintain its promise for opportunities for economic self improvement.
IRT choyd. I agree that wealth is unevenly distributed but only blaming the wealthy (I’m not one of them) is not fair. If you look at statistics over the past 100 years, education has often been the way for upward mobility. Unfortunately, for whatever reasons, the rate in the US of college and even high school graduates is declining. To overcome this problem, many people are looking to the government to raise minimum wages and to further tax the rich. What I’m saying is that is not a long-term strategy.
We need to look at this in a larger context. The wealthy have always been able preserve their advantages no matter what the form of government or of opportunities that are presented to the lower classes.
The most recent trend of inequality is traced back to hyper globalization starting in the 90s. Until then there has been a slight trend earlier. Anyway this whale curve below shows what the trend is.
And the big thing to realize is that while the OECD countries, Europe the US and Canada, are getting less equitable, the developing countries like China are getting more equitable. This is a great help for world peace an in the end will mean that we all survive and live better.
http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/11/30/hyperglobalization-and-global-inequality/
would love to jack this Ryan guy a couple times, wipe the smug right off his face
I would pay to watch that.
Most would.
Ryan demanded family time if he took the Speaker job.
That was after he repeatedly voted against giving that to every other American. Ryan is a raging hypocrite.
So the government owes you family time?
Ah, more spending, what a surprise. I get so frustrated with our politicians and this administrations ideological push for enlarging our government and taking more of my money.
Do the clergy pay income taxes?
Of course. Why would they not?
Yes, we pay Social Security, Property, Income, etc. and government only knows how to increase spending.
Sorry, I forgot to shave again.
What does his wife say, I wonder?
WHAT WAS THE NET RESULT …WE SPEND MORE THAN LAST YEAR/// ??? and what was expected revenues ???? is that a lot to ask ???aloha
Looks like the train started by Gingrich has ended. In the power of the Tea Party is gone. This is good news.
The real Tea Party is alive and well.You just don’t hear much about it. Just like Bernie.
Wow, a trillion in new spending, Tax cuts financed with borrowed money, big increases in military spending. These fools think money grows on trees. I guess a balanced budget is too much to ask from either party, they’ve both been corrupted by different special interest groups determined to get their share of the pie, and then some. The future will not be so bright if congress doesn’t change their ways and balance the national budget.
[…] Weird is one word to describe the voting on the $1.1 trillion Omnibus spending bill that was passed by Congress on Friday. The Associated Press reported: […]