Congress passes year-end budget deal, sends to Obama

The legislation also would pay an additional $4.6 billion into a compensation fund for victims and extend if for five years.

Obama welcomed the sprawling legislation, a rare compromise product of the divided government. It includes something for almost everyone, from parents and teachers to the oil industry and small businesses, from 9/11 first responders to cybersecurity hawks and more.

“I do want to thank Congress for ending the year on a high note”, Obama said at a news conference after lawmakers voted on the deal.

He called the recent budget deal a “good win” that funds environmental protection, early childhood education, making college more affordable, implements the clear power rule, and invests in clean energy.

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (Wis.-R) announced the bipartisan compromise.

“A rotten process yields a rotten result, and this 2,000-page, trillion-dollar bill is rotten to its core”, Republican Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas said.

Ryan, who just six weeks ago succeeded the deposed former Speaker John Boehner, all but claimed the bill’s passage as a personal triumph, citing it as an example of his drive “to get our House back on track”.

The House and Senate are voting Friday on a year-end $1.1 trillion spending package that avoids a government shutdown next week and funds federal agencies through next fall.

Last night, Congress passed legislation that permanently extends many tax breaks, which Republicans liked far more than Democrats and probably made scrounging together the votes for the omnibus much easier.

Obama has promised to sign the measure, which also includes numerous spending increases he has demanded all year.

Several of the GOP presidential candidates in the Senate were among those opposing the legislation, though Sen. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) voted against the bill while Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) voted for the package. Sen. He has reached out to tell me what he can do and what he cannot do.

The vote is not “a function of the spending bill but … a courtesy to the new speaker”, said Huelskamp, who voted against the bill.

In a media release after the vote, Democratic Representative Dave Loebsack said, “By passing this bill, Congress has ended the constant threat of a Republican government shutdown that the nation has been facing”.

After the Senate action, Congress planned to adjourn until January. Republicans won increases for the military and an end to a ban on exporting USA oil, as well as permanent tax cuts for business investment.

There was disagreement between the Republicans and Democrats about lifting the ban of exporting US crude oil. And they blocked numerous policy “riders” Republicans sought on the environment and other issues.

“They wanted big oil so much that they gave away the store”, Pelosi said.

The tax-extension measure passed by the House Thursday would also make permanent an enhanced child tax credit and the earned income tax credit, both Democratic priorities, as well as tax breaks for charitable giving and schoolteachers’ expenses. But he said it “advances conservative priorities” by cutting taxes and boosting defense spending.

Some Democrats criticized the tax cuts, saying they give more aid to large corporations and wealthy business owners than to working families.

The spending measure includes Republican wins such as a provision prohibiting the Securities and Exchange Commission from requiring publicly traded companies to disclose their political contributions.