Kicking the can down the road.
On Wednesday night, Congress cleared the last hurdle to end the partial government shutdown and lift the nation’s debt ceiling. Just hours after the Senate cleared the agreement, the House voted to accept the deal negotiated by Sens. Reid and McConnell. President Obama is expected to sign the agreement into law in advance of Thursday’s debt ceiling deadline.
Only 18 Republican Senators voted against the deal in the Senate, early Wednesday evening. The agreement funds government through January 15 and lifts the debt ceiling until February 7. In the House, a majority of the Republican caucus voted against the deal. Just 87 Republicans joined almost all House Democrats in approving the Senate deal.
As a result of the votes, the federal government will reopen on Thursday.
The deal is just a temporary reprieve from the nation’s fiscal debate. In the coming weeks, House and Senate Budget Committee members will attempt to hammer out an agreement on a longer-term budget deal. After the first of the year, Congress will again have to authorize renewed government spending, at much lower appropriations levels. It will also run up again against the nation’s debt ceiling.
Round 1 is over. Round 2 is set to begin again shortly.
This ‘deal’ did absolutely nothing to put a dent in the ObamaCare disaster, nor did it do anything to curb the government’s incontinent spending habits.
Mitch McConnell sure got a sweet deal by kissing Harry Reid’s ass:
A proposal to end the government shutdown and avoid default orchestrated by Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and Democratic Leader Harry Reid includes a nearly $3 billion earmark for a Kentucky project.
Language in a draft of the McConnell-Reid deal (see page 13, section 123) provided to WFPL News shows a provision that increases funding for the massive Olmsted Dam Lock in Paducah, Ky., from $775 million to nearly $2.9 billion.
The dam is considered an important project for the state and region in regards to water traffic along the Ohio River
It’s nothing less than another kickback; another fucking wasteful earmark given as a political favor.
That so-called “clean bill” is as filthy with waste as it can be.
Aside from McConnell’s pork, it includes a $3 million appropriation for a civil liberties oversight board, a one-time payment to the widow of Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), who died over the summer, back pay for furloughed federal government workers, and compensation to states that funded federal programs,
The RINOs in the GOP are worse than the LeftProg Dems. We know that the Dems are predisposed to a bloated government bent on pandering to welfare dependents and grabbing as much unconstitutional power as they can. The Republicans are supposed to be fighting against the obscene corruption and pork; we made that point during the 2010 midterm elections.
The GOP has failed us. They have failed this country. It’s time for a third party.
Related articles:
http://washingtonexaminer.com/harvard-us-debt-bill-is-123000-per-worker/article/2537299
http://www.breitbart.com/InstaBlog/2013/10/16/List-Republican-Votes-on-Senate-Debt-Deal
http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/10/16/Revealed-Legislative-Summary-of-Senate-Debt-Deal
souprize souprize souprize…
Reblogged this on Brittius.com.