The House voted 217-215 early this morning to pass the budget reconciliation bill. The vote, which was supposed to take place a week ago, was extremely close due to the contentious nature of the radical cuts within the bill. The GOP leadership was able to cut just enough backroom deals to tip the scales in their favor.

Just a short while ago, the Senate approved by voice vote this morning an extension through December 17 of the current continuing resolution (CR) funding the federal government. Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) did not object to the voice vote, but went on record as voting no on the CR to highlight the plight of many still recoverying from the hurricanes on the Gulf Coast. It is still unclear what this accomplished for the people of Gulf Coast.

After Republicans repeatedly painted their efforts to cut programs for low- and middle-income Americans on the floor of the House early this morning as necessary in order to bring down huge deficits (in fact, the bill was actually named "The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005"), those very same Republicans are turning around in less than 24 hours to consider more tax cuts for rich Americans that would actually increase the very same deficits they so reviled just a few hours earlier. This action is the ultimate hypocracy.

Late tonight, the Senate approved a $60 billion tax cut bill, by a vote of 64 - 33. Fifteen Democrats supported the final bill after mostly Republicans majorities defeated 17 different amendments.