[Mb-civic] On Capitol Hill, A Flurry of GOP Victories - Washington Post

[William Swiggard]

<>On Capitol Hill, A Flurry of GOP Victories
Key Measures Advance After Long Delays

By Charles Babington and Justin Blum
Washington Post Staff Writers
Saturday, July 30, 2005; Page A01

After years of partisan impasses and legislative failures, Congress in a 
matter of hours yesterday passed or advanced three far-reaching bills 
that will allocate billions of dollars and set new policies for guns, 
roads and energy.

The measures sent to President Bush for his signature will grant $14.5 
billion in tax breaks for energy-related matters and devote $286 billion 
to transportation programs, including 6,000 local projects, often called 
"pork barrel" spending. The Senate also passed a bill to protect 
firearms manufacturers and dealers from various lawsuits. The House is 
poised to pass it this fall.

Combined with the Central American Free Trade Agreement that Congress 
approved Thursday, the measures constitute significant victories for 
Bush and GOP congressional leaders, who have been frustrated by 
Democrats in some areas such as Social Security. As senators cast vote 
after vote in order to start their August recess, Bush applauded 
Congress, saying the energy bill "will help secure our energy future and 
reduce our dependence on foreign sources of energy."


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/29/AR2005072901942.html?referrer=email

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