In this vote, the House passed the U.S. budget for fiscal year 2006 (FY06). The House passed the conference report for the budget, which is the reconciled version of a bill or resolution that emerges from a conference of selected senators and representatives following the passage of different versions by each body. (The report must then be agreed to by both the House and the Senate.) Democrats, including Progressives, condemned the budget, arguing that it would irresponsibly cut taxes for the wealthy while ballooning the national deficit, while failing to address critical middle-class issues such as the rising costs of health care and gasoline and making college affordable and retirement secure. They lamented cuts in programs such as food stamps and the pension program operated through the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation. Democrats also criticized the fact that the conference report had only been filed hours before the present floor consideration, and thus they had not even been given a chance to read through it before they were required to vote on it. Republicans, however, hailed the budget, stating that it would significantly decrease the deficit while continuing to make tax cuts that would lead to increased economic growth. They noted that hard choices had to be made in cutting spending in order to reduce the deficit. They also noted that the President's full budget request for defense and homeland security had been granted. Defeating the Progressive position, the House passed the conference report on the FY06 budget by a virtually straight party line vote of 214 to 211. Thus, the House adopted and sent to the Senate a U.S. budget for FY06 that continued the President's tax-cut strategy and fully funded his defense and homeland security request while cutting other programs. These programs included some aimed at helping the poor and middle classes afford and obtain adequate health care, education, retirement and other basic needs.