Congress Approves Spending Bill With $38.5 Billion Cut
Congress gave final approval to legislation cutting government spending by $38.5 billion as lawmakers’ first major battle this year over the federal budget drew to a close. The Senate approved the measure, 81-19, and forwarded it onto President Barack Obama for his signature after it cleared the House, 260-167. House Republicans needed Democrats to approve the legislation; it was opposed by 59 Republicans while 81 Democrats supported it. A stopgap bill currently funding the government expires tonight and, without action, federal agencies would begin to close. House Speaker John Boehner, an Ohio Republican, urged his colleagues to back the legislation to implement the budget deal worked out last week among himself, Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat.
PFAW: Anatomy of a Koch-a-Thon: Sham Budget Hearings Brought to You by the Koch Brothers
Alternet: Here's a Real Democratic Budget that Serves the Interests of the American People