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Senate, pass the spending bill

This year’s omnibus spending bill — a 1,600 page, $1 trillion behemoth designed to fund the government through next September — contains a host of damaging cuts to important regulations. Nevertheless, passage of the bill is far better than the alternative — a government shutdown.

Apart from allowing the day-to-day operations of the federal government, the bill will allow individuals to make much larger contributions to political parties, and will loosen restrictions in the Dodd-Frank financial reform law. There are also cuts to the Internal Revenue Service and the Environmental Protection Agency. All these provisions are gifts to Republicans, and have left progressive Democrats furious. Senator Elizabeth Warren broke with Senate leadership to urge House Democrats to vote against the bill. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said she was “enormously disappointed” that the White House supports the law’s passage. Tea Party Republicans weren’t happy either, because the bill fails to block any of President Obama’s recent executive actions on immigration.

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Nevertheless, the bill passed the House of Representatives by a narrow margin on Thursday and was expected to pass the Senate Friday night, although both chambers passed a two-day stop-gap funding measure in case the debate drags on into the weekend. But with both Senate majority leader Harry Reid and minority leader Mitch McConnell supporting the bill, its passage seems likely.

The regulatory cuts contained in the bill could have negative, long-term effects on the country. A robust EPA is crucial for achieving the country’s climate goals. The change in campaign finance regulation — which will increase the amount individuals can give to national party committees from $97,200 a year up to $777,600 — will only increase the impact of dark money on elections.

But allowing another government shutdown would have far-reaching consequences. Many Americans are still struggling to see the effects of the growing economy. US leadership is crucial in tackling the Ebola epidemic, coordinating international responses to crises in Ukraine, and rolling back ISIS in Iraq and Syria. A government shutdown could derail all these efforts. Obama seems to recognize this; obstructionist Democrats need to understand it as well.

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