$1.3 Trillion Omnibus Spending Bill Passes After GOP Drops Anti-Environment Riders

Congress passed a $1.3 trillion federal spending bill early Friday following negotiations in which Republicans, in order to garner needed Democratic support, agreed to remove a slew of provisions that would have gutted environmental and campaign finance laws. Environmental, health and public interest advocates said the deal demonstrated the power of public outrage over dozens of riders the GOP sought to attach to the must-pass bill to fund the government through the remainder of this fiscal year...MORE

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But Democrats, while in the minority, had bargaining power. GOP leaders feared they would lose the votes of Republican Freedom Caucus members and deficit hawks like Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who might balk at the prospect of passing a bill more than 2,200 pages long only hours after it was unveiled.

Because they feared losing the votes of the conservative Republicans, they dropped the riders to attract more Democrats to vote for final passage. We were nothing more than trading fodder to the Republican leadership.

Keep in mind that if the Republicans had passed the appropriation bills  during the normal course of business. most of these riders would have become law. But by waiting to do  an Omnibus "must pass" bill li allowed the Dems to have them by the short hairs.