The GOP controlled U.S. House passed a $1.2 trillion spending package on Friday which was necessary to avoid a government shutdown caused by their own failure to govern. The final vote for passage was 286-134. Voting for the bill were 101 Republicans while 112 Republicans voted no. The number of Democrats who voted for the bill were 185 while 22 Democrats voted no.
Republicans who voted against the bill said the bottom line is that this is a complete and utter surrender. GOP opponents of the bill also took issue with the GOP's leadership and remarked it was clear that the Democrats own the Speaker's gavel.
Once again it is a SANE democratic party who provided the majority vote to pass legislation that keeps the government running to take care of the people's business. The GOP House has wasted almost 6 months on their threat to shutdown the government to arrive to where we are today. And to make matters worse, the GOP left town after the vote for a two week vacation and failed to address funding for Ukraine and Israel.
The Democratic controlled Senate took up the bill early Saturday morning and passed the House's bill on a vote of 74-24 and the President signed the bill into law later on in the day. Forty nine democratic senators voted for the bill and twenty five republican senators voted for the bill. It is another win for the country and the people and the end to another unnecessary threat by the Republicans in congress.
This commentary written by Joe Lorio
