"The 109th Congress is packing its bags for good and leaving town today without enacting nine of the 11 appropriations bills that pay for the federal government. It's a development that has infuriated Democrats, who will have to carry the additional burden of enacting the spending bills when they take control in January, and has left Republicans red-faced.
"They're going to leave a mess as they go out,'' Democratic House Speaker-to-be Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco said Thursday. "It's really sad. The Republicans never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity."
"It's a spectacular disorder of chaos,'' said Rep. David Obey, D-Wis., who will chair the House Appropriations Committee in the 110th Congress. "We will have to run a cleanup brigade.''
Instead of approving the remaining appropriations bills, which represent more than $400 billion in spending on almost every domestic program, Congress today will pass a continuing resolution funding operations at current levels through Feb. 15. The two bills already approved by both houses and signed by President Bush are for the military and homeland security.
Republicans admit they were disheartened by losing the Senate and House in November's elections, and just haven't been able to compromise on differing versions of the bills passed this year by the GOP-controlled House and Senate. "
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