Congress Passes Mammoth Spending Bill, Averts Shutdown

The $1.3 trillion budget bill now goes to President Donald Trump for his signature.

The Senate passed a $1.3 trillion spending bill early Friday, acting to avert a government shutdown with less than 24 hours to spare and bringing to a close a messy negotiating process over the sprawling measure.

The bill, which now goes to President Donald Trump for his signature, would lift military spending by $80 billion this year and domestic programs by $63 billion, a decision lauded by defense hawks and criticized by lawmakers frustrated by its impact on the deficit. White House officials said Thursday that Mr. Trump would sign it.

The vote was 65-32 and followed House passage on Thursday. Twenty-four Republicans voted against the legislation, led by Sen. Rand Paul (R., Ky.)

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) depicted the bill as “legislation that neither side sees as perfect, but which contains a host of significant victories and important achievements on behalf of the American people.”

The repeated delays left senators tired and angry. “This is a ridiculous process,” Sen. Bob Corker (R., Tenn.), demanding that Mr. McConnell explain on the Senate floor “what has occurred over the last 11 hours” that prevented the Senate from voting. Mr. Corker voted against the spending bill.

The biggest problem for many Republicans was the size of the spending package.

“I’m really troubled by the increased spending in this bill,” said Sen. David Perdue (R., Ga.) who was undecided on the bill Thursday as he weighing its advantages for the military against its impact on the debt.

Democrats celebrated victories in the spending bill, including higher spending for infrastructure, opioid research and treatment, the National Institutes of Health, Head Start and child-care programs.

“This is a bill that puts the middle class and those struggling to get there first,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.)

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