But it's still amazing that the Republicans passed them.
The Republicans, for their part, passed a modest health care bill that they believe will shield them from attack next year.
Then the Republicans passed another bill with only minimal changes.
The Republicans passed some of their proposals, but failed on others such as term limits.
It is needed because the Republicans have not passed most of the regular appropriations bills.
The Republicans did immediately pass a measure to even up the distribution of pork-barrel money.
Medicare reform might well be the most important legislation the Republicans will pass this year.
It also goes further than a measure the Republicans passed just weeks before the November election.
But there was a serious question today about whether the new amendment that Republicans passed was much stronger than the first.
The Republican passed extension of the tax cut would cost an estimated $4 trillion from 2010 to 2020.