Congress Nets Two Big Ones

Retirement and jobs bills pass

Thanks to some slick parliamentary maneuvering and old-fashioned political horse trading, two hotly debated pieces of social legislation came to the end of a long legislative haul last week virtually intact.

Most significant, the landmark $165 billion Social Security bailout package cleared its final hurdles with last-minute alacrity, if not grace. With only hours to go before a scheduled ten-day Easter recess, the Senate raced to endorse the Conference Committee compromise. The vote was 58 to 14; the night before, the House had nodded its approval with a 243-to-102...