WASHINGTON – They had 80 hours to finish or fail.

Stuck in a “fiscal cliff” stalemate, trust nearing tatters, President Barack Obama and Senate Republicans changed the game after Christmas. It took the rekindling of an old friendship between Vice President Joe Biden and GOP Sen. Mitch McConnell, an extraordinary flurry of secret offers, a pre-dawn Senate vote on New Year’s Day, and the legislative muscling that defines Washington on deadline.

The House, despite Republican resistance, passed the Senate bill late Tuesday, sending the measure to Obama for his signature.