After a chaotic day of wailing Republican angst, the House on Tuesday night finally passed a bill that would extend the Bush tax cuts for all but the wealthiest Americans. The bill's passage caps months of maddeningly inconclusive negotiations between the White House and several players in Congress, and it wasn't until the last couple days that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Vice President Joe Biden crafted a compromise that was able to pass the Senate with flying bipartisan colors.
Of course, it seems unlikely that the compromise will herald a new era of comity between the two parties. There was apparently no love lost between the negotiations' principal players, particularly House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.). According to Politico, this happened:
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The history of Donald Trump's election conspiracy theoriesThe Explainer How the 2024 Republican nominee has consistently stoked baseless fears of a stolen election
-
Two ancient cities have been discovered along the Silk RoadUnder the radar The discovery changed what was known about the old trade route
-
'People shouldn't have to share the road with impaired drivers'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
US election: who the billionaires are backingThe Explainer More have endorsed Kamala Harris than Donald Trump, but among the 'ultra-rich' the split is more even
-
US election: where things stand with one week to goThe Explainer Harris' lead in the polls has been narrowing in Trump's favour, but her campaign remains 'cautiously optimistic'
-
Is Trump okay?Today's Big Question Former president's mental fitness and alleged cognitive decline firmly back in the spotlight after 'bizarre' town hall event
-
The life and times of Kamala HarrisThe Explainer The vice-president is narrowly leading the race to become the next US president. How did she get to where she is now?
-
Will 'weirdly civil' VP debate move dial in US election?Today's Big Question 'Diametrically opposed' candidates showed 'a lot of commonality' on some issues, but offered competing visions for America's future and democracy
-
1 of 6 'Trump Train' drivers liable in Biden bus blockadeSpeed Read Only one of the accused was found liable in the case concerning the deliberate slowing of a 2020 Biden campaign bus
-
How could J.D. Vance impact the special relationship?Today's Big Question Trump's hawkish pick for VP said UK is the first 'truly Islamist country' with a nuclear weapon
-
Biden, Trump urge calm after assassination attemptSpeed Reads A 20-year-old gunman grazed Trump's ear and fatally shot a rally attendee on Saturday
