Republican leaders rely on Democrat support to pass a pork larded bill. The Wall Street Journal reports here:
The White House dispatched Chief of Staff Denis McDonough to a Thursday evening meeting of congressional Democrats, aiming to shore up support for the bill. Mr. McDonough made a pitch for the longer-term bill, saying Democrats would end up with a worse deal in 2015 if they supported a temporary patch, because Republicans would have more power to shape new, long-term legislation next year, according to lawmakers in the meeting. The GOP will hold a majority in both chambers in 2015.
Perhaps more enticingly, the bill’s more than 1,600 pages contained hometown funding many lawmakers couldn’t turn down.
“In the end, there were a lot of things in the bill that were really good for the people I represent,” said Rep. Ron Barber (D., Ariz.), citing continued support for the A-10 aircraft, which the White House had proposed retiring.
House GOP leaders intent on defusing their recent budget brinkmanship in Congress shaped a plan designed to push into next year the fight over Mr. Obama’s plans to shield millions of illegal immigrants from deportation.
But many conservatives rejected the approach as capitulation to the president, forcing GOP leaders to turn to Democrats to help pass the bill.
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