The House of Representatives narrowly approved the $1 trillion "cromnibus" appropriations bill late Thursday that would fund most of government through October 2015, but the Senate wasn't ready to act on it yet.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., took the floor late Thursday and said the body would act on the legislation "as soon as possible," though he noted that as soon as possible for the Senate would not be soon enough to avert a shutdown.

A provision passed by the House included temporary funding to give the Senate two days to consider and debate the bill. Reid said the chamber will take up the appropriations bill Friday but not before dealing with the National Defense Authorization Act, which has to be voted on by 5 p.m.

"We're going to work as hard as we can to expedite things around here," he said.

"We continue to believe that time remains for congress to pass full-year appropriations for fiscal 2015 and prevent a government shutdown," an official with the Office of Management and Budget said Thursday. "However, out of an abundance of caution, we are working with agencies and taking steps to prepare for all contingencies, including a potential lapse in funding."

The appropriations bill passed the House 219-206 after a tense day in recess. The bill went to the House floor at 2:30 p.m. but was tabled when it became clear not enough Democrats were going to vote in favor.

Democrats opposed two riders on the bill — amending parts of the Dodd-Frank Act and Federal Election Campaign Act — and a separate continuing resolution for the Department of Homeland Security, which would be funded through February but not the full year.

Despite these reservations, President Obama said Thursday he would sign the bill and lobbied Democrats to vote for it that afternoon.

When the House reconvened at 9 p.m., Democrats decried the bill but asked their party members to vote for it rather than continue to govern through continuing resolutions.

The two-day extension gives the Senate until midnight Saturday to hold a vote.

"No piece of legislation is perfect, I'd be the first to say that," Sen. Barbara Miklusk, D-Md., chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said Thursday night, opening the debate. "This means no government shutdown, no government on autopilot."

The $1.013 trillion bill — which includes $492 billion for civilian agency operations and $521 billion in defense spending — would allow agencies to do long-term budget planning for the first time since the last government shutdown in October 2013.

Appropriations for the largest agencies:

Agency — 2015 Appropriation — Change Over 2014

■ Agriculture — $20.6 billion — -$305 million

■ Justice Department — $26.7 billion — $263 million

■ NASA — $18 billion — $364 million

■ Commerce Department — $8.5 billion — $286 million

■ National Science Foundation — $7.3 billion — $172 million

■ Defense Department — $490.2 billion — $3.3 billion

■ Department of Energy — $10.2 billion — $22 million

■ Interior Department — $1.1 billion — $27 million

■ Internal Revenue Service — $10.9 billion — -$345.6 million

■ Federal Communications Commission — $340 million — no change

■ Securities and Exchange Commission — $1.5 billion — $150 million

■ Environmental Protection Agency — $8.1 billion — $60 million

■ Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services — $3.6 billion — no change

■ Centers for Disease Control — $6.9 billion — $43 million

■ National Institutes of Health — $30 billion — $150 million

■ Social Security Administration — $1.4 billion — $199 million

■ Department of Education — $70.5 billion — -$133 million

■ Department of Labor — $11.9 billion — $99 million

■ Government Accountability Office — $522 million — $17 million

■ Veterans Affairs — $159.1 billion — $1.8 billion

■ State Department — $15.7 billion — $838 million

■ Department of Transportation — $17.8 billion — no change

■ Housing and Urban Development — $35.6 billion — $2.8 billion

Share:
In Other News
Load More