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Democrats have a hypocrisy problem

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Washington (CNN) -- The obscure banking provision that threatened to derail the recently passed government funding measure was derided by Democrats as a sop to Wall Street.

But some on the left have a John Kerry-esque problem with the "Boehner Bank Bailout" -- they were for it before they were against it.

At issue, is the so-called push-out regulation, which was designed to prevent banks from using government insured money to make risky investments -- like the loan swaps that fueled the 2008 financial crisis. Buried inside the 1,600-page spending proposal to keep the government running is a small provision to end that prohibition.

Democrats are livid.

READ: What's tucked in the spending bill

But last fall, that same proposal was considered by the Republican-controlled House. The bill, the majority of which was written by Citigroup and other Wall Street banks, passed with the support of 70 Democrats.

On Thursday, 28 House Democrats seemingly changed their mind, voting against the spending bill that included the rollback provision -- a provision that has become the rallying cry for progressive Democrats hoping to kill the bill. Of course, the massive legislation gives lawmakers lots of potential explanations for why they changed their votes. But whatever the explanation, in politics, it's still scored as a flip-flop.

Many progressive Democrats complained that the rollback was snuck into the bill at the last minute. Not true, said Republican and Democratic sources familiar with the negotiations. It had been an issue for weeks.

On the House floor, California Rep. Maxine Waters blasted the rollback as a danger to consumers.

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Democrats have a hypocrisy problem

YOU NEED TO KNOW: Obama Executive Action Immigration Reform – Video


YOU NEED TO KNOW: Obama Executive Action Immigration Reform
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YOU NEED TO KNOW: Obama Executive Action Immigration Reform - Video

For Hispanics in the US, a long wait comes to an end – Video


For Hispanics in the US, a long wait comes to an end
Although the presidential decision comes as a huge relief for Hispanic minorities across the U.S, a comprehensive immigration reform is still pending and will likely be an issue for years to...

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Kenyans in Boston praise President Obama for Immigration Executive Order – Video


Kenyans in Boston praise President Obama for Immigration Executive Order
The Kenyan community in Boston appreciates the new immigration reform measure by US president, Barack Obama.

By: AjabuTV

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Kenyans in Boston praise President Obama for Immigration Executive Order - Video

US Senate passes $1.1tn spending bill

Senator Ted Cruz talks with reporters after the Senate voted on the budget. Photograph: Lauren Victoria Burke/AP

The $1.1tn US budget finally cleared Congress on Saturday night after hours of last-minute legislative bargaining that secured a number of unexpected wins for Democrats but failed to stop a controversial plan to help Wall Street banks.

The so-called cromnibus a 1,600-page omnibus spending bill that funds most of government until next September passed in the Senate by 56 to 40 votes. It also postpones a battle over Barack Obamas immigration reform until March with a separate three-month continuing resolution to fund the Department for Homeland Security.

But a last-ditch effort by conservative senator Ted Cruz to take more immediate action on immigration served to delay the final vote and created a surprise window for Democrats to rush through a series of previously-stalled personnel confirmations.

Cruz scuppered the original plan agreed with his partys leadership to hold the cromnibus vote on Friday night by insisting there be an opportunity to vote on whether the presidents executive action on immigration was unconstitutional.

This failed, voted down by 22 votes to 74, but the resulting delay allowed outgoing Senate majority leader Harry Reid to use the unexpected Saturday session to hold a 10-hour voting marathon and confirm 24 nominations for vacant judicial posts and government jobs.

In his final few hours in charge of the Senate, a visibly-delighted Reid also filed procedural motions on a number of even more controversial Obama nominations, including Dr Vivek Murthy, who the Republicans have long opposed as surgeon general due to his views in favour of gun control. These are now likely to be voted through in short final session on Monday.

Cruzs token protest against immigration reform irritated a number of moderate Republicans, such as Senator Lindsey Graham who said he had given Democrats an unnecessary victory on the nominations.

Nevertheless, the protest by rightwing Republicans against the elements of the cromnibus they oppose was more visible than similar concern among Democrats about other clauses, such as the support for Wall Street.

In stark contrast to Democrats in the House of Representatives, who nearly derailed the budget entirely on Thursday by voting unanimously against proceeding to a budget vote and had to be cajoled by the White House into passing it eventually, Senate Democrats were in more muted mood.

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US Senate passes $1.1tn spending bill