Congress OKs $136 billion in tax breaks

The bill “is a lobbyist dream and a middle class nightmare,” said Massachusetts Democrat Edward Kennedy. “It’s an embarrassment to a representative democracy.”

The bill also drew criticism from Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who called it “the worst example of the influence of special interests that I have ever seen.”

Grassley responded earlier in the debate to critics who said the measure had provisions for specific interests, saying, “Well, that’s true. But that’s how the Senate works.”

DH