Outgoing Speaker John Boehner gave a parting gift to his partner President Obama steaming on the floor of the House with the comment that he wanted to "Clean the barn." What he did instead was add to the barn litter he is leaving behind. His Omnibus Budget Bill aptly entitled the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 that funds the government for the rest of President Obama's term continues the surrender by Congress of the only leverage they have over a runaway executive: the power of the purse.
This deal was presented and opposed at the same time by the Republican leadership in a good cop bad cop routine by the outgoing speaker and the incoming, Paul Ryan. While Boehner extolled the budget deal before voting for it Ryan said it "stinks" before voting for it. With this deal the Republicans have now gone back on every promise they have made in the last seven years to win control of Congress, and what we end up with is another cop sold out to the Outfit.
