Government Spending Bill Headed To Obama’s Desk After Sailing Through Congress

Last updated on September 25th, 2023 at 01:51 pm

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The House and Senate easily passed an omnibus bill that funds the government through September 30, 2016. The bill will be signed by President Obama as soon as it hits his desk, as lawmakers are heading home for Christmas.

In the House, 150 Republicans voted for the bill with only 95 voting against it. 166 Democrats supported the bill with only 18 voting against it. The unified Republican majority was a dramatic shift from October when only 79 House Republicans voted for the budget.

In the Senate, the vote was an equally bipartisan 65-33 where 38 Republicans and 27 Democrats voted for the bill.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) who voted against the bill said:

Millions of Americans are unemployed and working longer hours for lower wages, yet this spending package gives more tax breaks to billionaires, encourages large corporations to ship jobs overseas and makes worse an already corrupt campaign finance system. Scientists tell us that we must act immediately to combat climate change, but this bill will lift the crude oil export ban and encourage the burning of more fossil fuels. And 16 million children are living in poverty in this country, but Congress has decided to cut food and nutrition services for our most vulnerable and increase the already bloated defense budget.

While there are some important and positive provisions in this bill like the expanded Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit, the truth is we cannot afford another spending package that expands the power and wealth of the billionaire class at the expense of everyone else. Congress must pass legislation that make our rigged political and economic systems work once again for the vast majority of Americans, not just the 1 percent.

The compromise legislation has something in it for everyone to both like and dislike.

The big takeaway is that Republicans are terrified of shutting down the government before a presidential election, so passage was never in doubt. Congress has hit the pause button on the era of manufactured crisis and drama, and the result was a piece of rare bipartisan legislation that President Obama is happy to sign.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association