Stopgap spending bill passes in the Senate

The Senate this afternoon passed a spending bill to fund federal operations for the next six months, bringing Congress one step closer to avoiding a government shutdown.

The spending bill, called a continuing resolution, passed 73 to 26. More than 20 Republicans and one Democrat, Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., voted against it.

Now the legislation goes to the House, which passed its own version of the spending bill two weeks ago. House Republican leadership aides told CBS News they do not expect any changes so the bill, which would then go to President Obama for his signature. Congress is aiming to finish the legislation before leaving for its Easter recess at the end of the week. If they failed to pass some kind of continuing resolution before March 27, the federal government would partially shut down.

Earlier this week, some Republican senators were holding up the bill, insisting on holding votes on various amendments to the legislation. However, Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., and ranking member Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., managed to broker a deal to hold votes on the amendments and get the $984 billion spending bill passed.

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Afterwards, Mikulski called the bill's passage an "enormous victory." The work she accomplished with Shelby, she said, demonstrated that "we can work on a bipartisan basis and actually govern, and that we can conduct ourselves with decorum... At the end of the day, I think we all agree on our goals. We want to keep America moving."

The bill doesn't reverse the sequestration cuts that have hit federal agencies, including the Defense Department, across the board. It does, however, give the Defense Department and other domestic programs extra funding. Additionally, an amendment was added to stop from furloughing meat inspectors. The Senate, however, rejected an amendment that would have allocated money to keep White House tours from shutting down -- one of the unpopular effects of sequestration.

The House plans to take up the spending bill tomorrow, as well as the 2014 budget proposal drafted by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis. A number of other substitute 2014 budgets will also get a vote, so various groups can lay out where they stand on the issues of deficit reduction and spending priorities.

The groups putting forward substitute budgets include the conservative Republican Study Committee, which would balance the budget in four years in part by raising the Social Security eligibility age to 70; the House Democrats, who would raise taxes on high income earners through closing loopholes and invest in infrastructure and research; and progressives, who would let all Bush-era tax rates to expire for families making over $250,000 per year.

Ryan's budget, however, is the only one expected to pass in the GOP-led House. Ryan's budget would balance the federal budget in 10 years by restricting future annual increases in spending, it would overhaul Medicare and it would implement widespread non-defense discretionary cuts. Among other things, it would also implement significant tax reforms and repeal the Affordable Care Act.

[sjc_1]

One of the Republican senators said "Congress can not even get dysfunctional right", that about sums it up.

[johnniewinesap]

how long is this arrangement for? a week, two, a month?
how about the new speaker whacking polosi in the head with his gavel. sure couldn't/wouldn't hurt her any. brain dead for years and to dumb to fall over.

[Tank_Commander]

"Earlier this week, some Republican senators were holding up the bill, insisting on holding votes on various amendments to the legislation"
So what were the amendments? Any link to the details of the budget bill so us common folks can read it, or does the editors of CBS think the public is just too dumb to understand the language?

[antoniof123]

The funny thing is we complain about the Senate but they are getting bills through the House on the other hand can't seem to pass a thing in fact they put morality bills out there that most Americans wonder what they are thinking (must be related to the Taliban).

What is the difference? Let's see the house is controlled by Republicans and the Senate is controlled by democrats.

Go figure the do nothing party does nothing.

[NinthSt78]

Without a career in Engineering that would have earned a wife and family, the finish-line will be at age 62.

[realtimecoffee]

FOX_PARROTS_LIE says: How funny....the senators were patting themselves on their backs since they accomplished passing this legislation, but isn't that what they were elected to do......work for the American people?
---
I get your point, but I wouldn't exactly call this working FOR the American people...

[FOX_PARROTS_LIE]

I hope you're not suggesting the alternative, and a government shutdown which benefits nobody.

[realtimecoffee]

No, I'm suggesting they might work on a budget that may actually benefit the people that they are elected to serve instead of just endlessly photocopying last year's budget with bigger numbers.

[realtimecoffee]

Shouldn't this be called a Moregap Spending Bill?

[jtdev1]

Game of "Kick the Can"

Wow, 6 more months till another show down.

[sandiegopete]

This is the way it will be from now on in the United States. Neither major political party is capable of putting together a reasonable budget because they own their allegiance to various business groups but do not want to alienate too many voters so they will just continue with the funding bills and thereby dodge the difficult issues that would be necessary to address our continued defict spending. The Democrats refuse to cut spending and the Republicans refuse to increase revenue. There is currently an impasse and it will never, ever be resolved. Plan your life accordingly.

[crashdummy38]

Have to cut out White House tours due to secret service funding, we are told ..............What was the cost of the secret service cost for the Obama daughter and friends spring break visit to Mexico ???

[FOX_PARROTS_LIE]

Gee, how soon the rabid right-wingers seem to forget the excessive partying the bush twins did with their SS escorts, and now it's all about Obama and his family because.........why?

For crissakes, I'll never deny ANY President a vacation or some time off from the extreme stress in the White House, but it certainly seems as if the rabid right wants to make an issue out of everything this President does, and deny him a few days of R&R, or his family a few days of vacationing wherever they want to go!

[retmw1]

Not a word about the congress taking an Easter break and getting paid for it. Easter is over a week away and they're already worrying about their vacation. How many Americans get that amount of time off with pay for Easter?