Frightening, but it's true: The House and Senate broke a lengthy impasse over federal spending Thursday night, narrowly adopting a $2.56 trillion federal budget for 2006 that aims to trim the growth of Medicaid by $10 billion over five years, add $106 billion in tax cuts and clear the way for oil drilling in an Alaskan wildlife refuge.

The back-to-back votes - 214 to 211 in the House and 52 to 47 in the Senate - ran mostly along party lines. As the roll was called in the Senate, shortly before midnight, Vice President Dick Cheney sat in the chamber, ready to cast his vote to break a tie, if necessary.(...)

Earlier in the evening, Representative Tom DeLay of Texas, the House majority leader, called the spending plan " the best since the historic Balanced Budget Act of 1997."

Shortly before the House began its vote, Mr. DeLay said, "This is the budget the American people voted for when they returned a Republican House, a Republican Senate and a Republican president to the White House last November."

I have to agree with Tom DeLay on this one, especially since the budget is the only major piece of legislation that was unanimously opposed by Democrats in the House during this session of Congress. Huge tax cuts to the rich that will drive up the deficit? Check. Cutting healthcare to the poor and middle class? Check. Destroying pristine wildlife refuges while funneling billions of dollars to large energy corporations? Check. This is indeed the budget the American people voted for when they returned a Republican House, a Republican Senate, and a Republican President to the White House. You get what you vote for.