| The Associated Press | January 1, 2013 11:59 PM EST | 
The 257-167 roll call Tuesday by which the House passed the agreement that avoided the so-called fiscal cliff of middle-class tax increases and spending cuts and sent the measure to President Barack Obama. A "yes" vote is a vote to pass the bill. Voting yes were 172 Democrats and 85 Republicans. Voting no were 16 Democrats and 151 Republicans. X denotes those not voting. There are 3 vacancies in the 435-member House. Congratulations to us! Though a better deal would have been nice, at least we can sleep well for a few weeks and maybe we can expect the White house to be able to deal from a position of strength in late February when we have to go thru this again, along with the debt ceiling..... A special nod should go to NY and PA, the only states with mixed party congressional districts that voted unanimously for the deal. I am hoping continued economic growth over the next few months will lead to a more solid spending/revenue balance without slashing the spending on needed programs nor creating a need to broaden the tax base any further. Maybe after February, we can spend a year working on immigration, climate change and social justice issues.... |
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