House passes massive $1.3 trillion spending bill
- The House passed a massive, $1.3 trillion spending package on Thursday.
- The bill would avert a government shutdown.
- It now heads to the Senate, where it could pass later Thursday or Friday.
- President Donald Trump is expected to sign the bill.
The House of Representatives passed a massive $1.3 trillion spending package on Thursday that averts a federal government shutdown and funds key government programs.
The vote passed 256-167. It now heads to the Senate, where it could pass later Thursday or sometime Friday. President Donald Trump is expected to sign the bill, though he has privately grumbled about some of its omissions, echoing a number of conservative complaints about the bill.
The bill was the result of compromise among the "big four" congressional leaders and includes a number of key priorities for both Republicans and Democrats.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell applauded the increase in military funding during a speech on the Senate floor Thursday.
"First and foremost, in my view, this bill will mark the end of disproportionate and harmful cuts to Department of Defense funding," McConnell said. "It delivers the largest year-on-year increase in defense spending in fifteen years."
For Democrats, the bill includes increased funding for a slew of social programs.
The full plan was only unveiled late Wednesday evening. The bill runs more than 2,200 pages.