Senate Passes $1 Trillion Omnibus ‘Bipartisan’ Bill to Fund Government Through September

The Associated Press
The Associated Press

The Senate on Thursday passed the more than $1 trillion spending bill to fund the federal government through September on a 79 to 18 vote.

President Donald Trump is expected to sign the Omnibus Appropriations Act on Friday at the latest, averting a government shutdown.

On Wednesday, Democrats outvoted Republicans to pass H.R. 244 in the House — 178 Democrats voted “yea” and five “nay.” On the Republican side, 132 Republicans voted for it and 102 against it in the 309 to 118 vote tally.

“The Omnibus appropriates $1.070 trillion in base discretionary budget authority, allocating $551 billion for defense and $519 billion for non-defense in line with the Budget Control Act’s statutory discretionary spending caps, as well as $93.5 billion in additional funding designated for Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO),” House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) wrote in his report on the bill.

Both sides have claimed victory on the “bi-partisan” legislation, with Democrats citing spending on social and science programs and Republicans touting increases in military and border security spending.

Almost none of the priorities that President Donald Trump put forth in his America First budget blueprint were in the bill, including funding for a wall on the U.S. southern border, or defunding Obamacare, Planned Parenthood and sanctuary cities.

This appropriations bill is the final portion of a budget proposed by the Obama administration. In September, the first budget originating from the Trump White House will be submitted to Congress.

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