In 2006, Republicans passed only two spending bills for Fiscal Year 2007. The federal fiscal year starts October 1st, leaving three months after the start of the fiscal year for the legislature to pass the bills "late," but at least in the current Congress. Appropriations bills are often passed a few days or weeks late -- in only five out of the last 54 years has the Senate managed to pass all appropriations bills on time. But the GOP didn't pass nine spending bills at all -- leaving them to be passed by the Democratic Congress.

Yet Senator McConnell has been attacking Democrats for being too slow to pass the FY 2008 bills. Of course, Democrats have a narrower majority than did the Republicans; have to deal with McConnell's unprecedented obstructionism; and face President Bush's zealous partisan veto threats.

Nonetheless, the Senate passed its second appropriations bill today, dealing with Military Construction and Veterans Affairs:

The bill, passed by a 92-1 vote, would provide $109.3 billion for military construction and the Department of Veterans Affairs in fiscal 2008 — $4.1 billion more than the president requested. But the White House has indicated Bush will sign the politically popular bill in its current form.

Though CQ reports that Bush intends to sign the bill, his official Statement of Administration Policy is much more equivocal:

If Congress increases VA funding above the President’s request and does not offset this increase with spending reductions in other bills, the President will veto any of the other bills that exceed his request until Congress demonstrates a path to reach the President’s topline of $933 billion.

You can read more on the appropriations process in this post.

Here's how House Republicans characterized the performance of their Senate counterparts in 2006:

- Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-GA): “The Senate, quite honestly, has not done its work. This is not an anomaly. It has become the norm in Congress, and I’m appalled by that.”

- Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO): “There’s so much to do and we’re punting. It’s irresponsible. There’s no excuse for it.”

- Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA): “I think it’s shameful. … The Senate got into a trap of inactivity.”