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House Passes Bipartisan Federal Spending Plan

The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a bipartisan spending agreement to keep the government open through the end of September.

WASHINGTON (CN) - The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a bipartisan spending agreement to keep the government open through the end of September.

By voting 309-118 in favor of the agreement, the House all but guaranteed the government will not shut down when a short-term package agreed to last week expires on Friday. The Senate still must approve the agreement and is expected to vote on it later this week.

The threat of a government shutdown loomed for weeks as Congressional negotiators attempted to iron out sticking points between Republicans, Democrats and the White House. Eventually partisan issues like funding for President Donald Trump's planned border wall fell away, leaving Congress to vote on an agreement that delivers modest wins for each side.

The bill includes $1.5 billion for border security measures, though none to be used on building Trump's wall, and bumps up defense spending by $25 million, which Republicans have claimed as wins for their side.

Democrats were able to claim victory themselves for cutting out wall funding and forcing the White House to agree not to stop paying Obamacare subsidies.

Despite not receiving any money for a wall across the southern border, the White House has insisted the spending bill delivers on promises Trump made as a candidate.

"Again, when he signs this legislation, more money for defense, more money for border security, more money for school choice -exactly what he said he would do," Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney told reporters on Monday.

The agreement will be in place for just less than six months, when the specter of a government shutdown will again surface. The White House has insisted the fight over funding for the border wall will resume then, confident that more members of Congress will sign on to the idea.

But Trump himself has not seemed so confident, taking to Twitter on Tuesday to complain about Senate rules that require legislation to receive 60 votes to pass procedural hurdles.

"Our country needs a good 'shutdown' in September to fix this mess," Trump tweeted.

Categories / Government, National, Politics

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