Senate passes stopgap spending bill, allowing Congress to avert partial government shutdown

[DonViejo]

Source: The Washington Post



By Mike DeBonis and Erica Werner December 21 at 7:14 PM

Congress passed a stopgap spending bill Thursday, averting a partial government shutdown at midnight Friday but pushing into January showdowns on spending, immigration, health care and national security.

Among the issues still to be resolved is federal aid for victims of recent hurricanes and wildfires. The House on Thursday passed a separate $81 billion disaster relief bill, but the Senate did not immediately take it up amid Democratic objections.

The stopgap extends current federal funding through Jan. 19 and also provides temporary extensions of the Children’s Health Insurance Program, which has languished politically since it expired in October, a veterans health-care program and a warrantless surveillance program set to expire on Jan. 1.

“It is essential that Congress maintain government programs and services for our nation's stability, the stability of our economy and for the security and well-being of the American people,” House Appropriations Committee Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-N.J.) said Friday on the House floor, urging lawmakers to support the stopgap.


Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/after-passing-tax-overhaul-gop-returns-to-infighting-as-shutdown-deadline-looms/2017/12/21/dfad1890-e659-11e7-ab50-621fe0588340_story.html

[pimpbot]

1. Senate democrats caved again

"Another controversial provision was also added to the House stopgap Wednesday: a measure waiving mandatory cuts to entitlement programs forced by the passage of the tax bill.

The tax bill slashed revenue by nearly $1.5 trillion, according to the nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation, adding to the federal deficit. That impact triggers a 2010 law that makes automatic spending cuts to Medicare and other programs if lawmakers increase the deficit."


Didn't address immigration and let the republicans off the hook in terms of their horrible tax bill.

Not much I can do, 95% of my state's representatives are blue.

[no_hypocrisy]

2. Will Congress remain "in session" after they've adjourned?

[iluvtennis]

3. Glad the stop gap was passed as our gov't needs to operate. BUT Trumpians are lying

about this:

"Among the issues still to be resolved is federal aid for victims of recent hurricanes and wildfires. The House on Thursday passed a separate $81 billion disaster relief bill, but the Senate did not immediately take it up amid Democratic objections. "

The horrendous GOP Tax Scam Bill specifically called that Californians are prohibited from writin off any losses due to the wildfires or earthquakes.
http://fortune.com/2017/12/08/california-fires-gop-tax-plan-wildfires/

The tax bill also has a clause that Puerto Rico companies are to to be treated companies that operate outside of the US with tax of 12.5 percent on intellectual property.
https://www.politico.com/story/2017/12/20/puerto-rico-governor-tax-bill-midterms-245870

----
Evil, just evil.

[ffr]

5. This is unAmerican and should be reason enough to impeach these assholes

Vindictive and childish behavior. Victimizing one American over another for partisan purposes.

Fuck the GOP!

[ffr]

4. Kicking the can down the road. Irresponsibility and shame to the KGOP

Balance the budget you turds!

[Kajun Gal]

6. Did Susan Collins get what was promised to her?

Nope. She lied to her constituents. She lied to the world.

Oh, and woo hoo for the country for the next TWO weeks! This is all such a major joke and an abomination to the people of this country.

TOM STEYER! Sign his petition!

[turbinetree]

7. I don't know about you folks, but I have been around quite some time

and when the democrats had the reins of the funding with a majority, they were not one month or two weeks they were for 2 years, this is outrageous, this country is under the a constant cloud of are we going to get money to operate, since these right wing assholes have gotten into power, at some point, the world is going to say, they are done, and we are slowly going bankrupt in the process, and our children are going to pay for this....................


This is just total Bullshit