Republicans just wanted to keep this fresh in the minds of Americans. I think this is a good move. We will see once Obama vetoes this that there will be a big Republican push to override and they will put pressure on the rats up for reelection.
No question we lost the battles for 7 years. It is quite possible that with less than a year until the election, that Congress will grow a pair and make this a central issue.
I think this explains it: