House OKs budget deal, ending shutdown

Author: AP
Published:
The U.S. Capitol in Washington (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)

The Latest on Congress and spending legislation (all times local):

5:30 a.m.

The House has narrowly passed a sweeping bipartisan budget accord, ending an hours-long government shutdown and clearing a path for huge spending increases for both the Pentagon and domestic programs.

The 240-186 vote sends the $400 billion spending plan to President Donald Trump, who has promised to sign it.

Passage of the measure came over the opposition of Democratic leaders who demanded the promise of a vote to protect “Dreamer” immigrants brought to the country illegally as children.

A band of tea party Republicans swung against the legislation as well, repelled by its spiraling spending levels.

The government shut down at midnight Thursday after Kentucky GOP Sen. Rand Paul blocked plans for a quick Senate vote, blaming his fellow Republicans for being “complicit” in the looming return of trillion-dollar budget deficits.

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1:50 a.m.

The Senate has passed a massive, bipartisan budget agreement and spending bill to reopen the shuttered federal government.

The bill now moves to the House.

Senators voted 71-28 to approve the deal, easily overcoming objections from Republican fiscal conservatives who say the bill marks a return to unchecked deficit spending.

The bill stalled in the Senate Thursday night when one of the opponents, Sen. Rand Paul, refused to allow a speedy vote.

Paul’s protest forced Congress to miss a midnight deadline for passing a funding measure to keep the government operating.

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