House approves budget deal in big 266-167 vote

[Cali_Democrat]

Source: The Hill

House lawmakers in both parties joined forces Wednesday to pass a sweeping budget deal that marks both a parting victory for outgoing Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and a valedictory gift for his likely replacement, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.).

The final vote was 266 to 167, with 79 Republicans joining every Democrat in sealing passage. Ryan was among the supporters.

The legislation, which raises federal spending levels and expands the government's borrowing authority, would push two of Congress's fiercest fiscal fights well beyond next year's elections, precluding potential standoffs with President Obama and easing Ryan's transition into the Speaker's chair.

The package drew fierce opposition from conservative Republicans, who denounced both the secret talks that produced it and the policy provisions featured within, particularly the spending hikes and the debt ceiling increase.

Read more: http://thehill.com/homenews/house/258431-house-approves-budget-deal

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Also:

Bernie Sanders backs the budget deal:

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/258392-sanders-backs-budget-deal-despite-defense-spending-concerns

[bigdarryl]

1. What the hell is in this budget

[Gregorian]

2. Probably books and bombs. Mostly bombs.

[Recursion]

14. A huge punt

Current spending continues with some accounting tricks to make it meet sequester rules. This is a gift from Boehner to Ryan so that there's not a shutdown standoff between now and the election next year.

[valerief]

3. More WAR money. But at least something passed. nt

[DCBob]

4. Sanders backs the deal.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Wednesday delivered a key endorsement to Congress's sweeping two-year budget deal, even though it includes major boosts in defense spending without tax increases that he has long criticized.

“This is not the budget I would have written,” Sanders wrote in a statement Wednesday. “But I will support it because it’s much better than across-the-board budget cuts, increased premiums for Medicare, cuts to Social Security and the constant threat we won’t pay our bills.”

[houston16revival]

5. Making Nice with the Republicans

has never gotten us very far

We're better off when they shutdown the government

The best we can hope for now is that it makes them irrelevant
and their noise cacophonous

[BumRushDaShow]

7. "We're better off when they shutdown the government"

Unless you are a fucking government employee who is relying on a paycheck.

WTF is wrong with DU?

[houston16revival]

9. Well ............

you have a point.

I did, of course, mean better off politically in a partisan way

[BumRushDaShow]

11. The GOP has already showcased their lunatics in grand style

They are the laughing stock of the world and apparently almost 1/3rd of them finally realized it and were embarrassed.

All Democrats need to do now is step out of the way and let them continue their freak show while we make sure our side gets everyone we know to get off their butts and vote next year!

[BumRushDaShow]

6. Round 1 done

now onto Round 2 (i.e., the Omnibus appropriations since the Senate will probably dispatch of the clown show hucksters pretty quickly to get the budget piece out of the way). The real test is in the funding documents.

The fact that you had 79 GOP members vote for this means that they are scared as hell for 2016. The Democrats only needed about 25 or so of them (and that group tends to be in swing districts) to get to 218.

[aceofblades]

17. Very true but..

that scenario may also assume that Ryan agrees to break the "Hastert rule" (which never was really a rule but that's irrelevant to right wing crazies). I think he would ultimately break the 'rule' ,if it came down to it, but some of the rumored horse trading that he did while meeting with the Freedom Caucus is not encouraging [link:https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/paul-ryan-is-doomed/2015/10/22/4dce4352-78e9-11e5-bc80-9091021aeb69_story.html|

[BumRushDaShow]

22. That's why I mentioned the Omnibus

as round 2 because that is where his rubber meets the road. The actual budget document made it out of the House under Boehner but how they try to screw the appropriations under Ryan, is another thing altogether!

[wolfie001]

8. Good news!!!

The sequester was a shitty way to deal with the sociopathic repukes.

[snappyturtle]

10. Say what you will, I believe this is carte blanche on irresponsible spending...thinking

government contractors.

The package would suspend the borrowing cap until March 16, 2017, leaving the next needed hike to fall under the next president.

(underlining is mine)

[Recursion]

15. The borrowing cap was a horrible idea and I hope it stays gone

Congress authorizes spending and taxation; if the first is bigger than the second then they are implicitly authorizing the borrowing to cover it.

[snappyturtle]

19. Borrowing=American way, correct? I just can't agree. Who/what will we borrow from?

I wonder if there is a country on the planet left to borrow from. I guess the Fed could just print more. What am I missing here?

[Recursion]

20. We mostly borrow from us

It's the bond market. It's rather important...

[snappyturtle]

21. LOL nt

[NonMetro]

12. I Knew it!

The sane ones in the GOP finally realized the only way to save their party next year was to shut out the tea bag caucus and make a deal with the Democrats. We could be seeing the beginning of a coalition forming in the house - and that could be a good thing. The GOP establishment may have finally had it with the tea bag crazies.

[Sunlei]

13. Finally the way the budget process should go. Been about 6 years of shutdown threats.

Biden said, Ryan would be able to make more of the Rs reasonable and work together better. Guess he was correct.

[passiveporcupine]

16. And the big threatened changes (the flat benefit plan) to SSDI will not happen

According to sources, Congress would cover some of the costs by selling additional broadcast spectrum bandwidth and oil from the strategic petroleum reserve, as well as by making changes to crop insurance programs. A host of lesser known items also would likely find the chopping block.

But the real pay-for would be felt on two major entitlement programs. The deal would extend the sequester's cuts to mandatory spending through 2025, which mostly involves a 2 percent cut in reimbursements to Medicare doctors. That reduction was scheduled to expire in 2021 under the 2011 Budget Control Act, which put sequestration into place. It was extended to 2023 under Murray-Ryan deal.

The new agreement also would prevent a 20 percent cut in benefits next year to the 11 million Americans enrolled in the Social Security Disability Insurance program. The cut would be avoided by diverting some of the incoming payroll tax money from Social Security's much bigger retirement insurance program for six years, something Republicans previously said they wouldn't do without cuts to benefits.

Hill sources said the disability changes would save roughly $4 billion to $5 billion over 10 years by requiring all states to have doctors review initial disability applications, which in some states are now checked by Social Security Administration officials and not medical professionals.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/budget-deal-near_562ecf9ee4b00aa54a4af738

I can't believe the republicans finally caved. Not sure what pressured them into this.

[JoePhilly]

18. Looks like Boehner is thumbing his nose at the Tea Party nuts ...

... on his way out the door.