http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/reid-spikes-the-football-successful-year-for-democrats/article/2578707Reid spikes the football: 'Successful year for Democrats'
By Pete Kasperowicz (@PeteKDCNews) • 12/18/15 12:29 PM
Senate Democrats on Friday boasted that they successfully managed to get just about everything they wanted in a massive spending and tax cut bill, despite being the minority party in both the House and Senate.
"Months ago, Democrats called on Republicans to work with us to craft a budget agreement. We wanted to get rid of sequestration, we were able to do that," said Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. "We wanted to make sure there is parity between defense and the middle class, we wanted to make sure that we kept these poison pills off the legislation."
"All three goals we had, we accomplished," he said. Reid said Democrats were able to beat back GOP efforts to defund Planned Parenthood, and stop plans to tighten rules for accepting refugees.
Even the lone GOP victory, ending the ban on U.S. oil exports, was matched by the extension of green energy tax credits.
"The legislation caps off a successful year for Senate Democrats," Reid said.
The Senate passed the $1.1 trillion spending and tax cut bill 65-33 Friday morning, sending it to President Obama for his signature into law.
Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said the positive results for Democrats came after his party blocked passage of key defense bills that would have boosted defense spending, without any promise to boost domestic spending. Blocking those bills eventually forced Republicans to agree to the Democratic demands.
The final spending bill increases spending by $80 billion over the next two years, ending a large part of the sequester.
Durbin also boasted that Democrats were able to push to renew the Export-Import Bank, after it was prevented from taking on any new business since the summer. The bank was renewed as part of a long-term highway bill.
"Do you remember when there was a time that the Export-Import Bank was beyond reach, no one could touch it?" Durbin asked.
