Divided House Passes 2-Year Budget Deal to Raise Spending

A divided House on Thursday passed a two-year budget deal that would raise spending by hundreds of billions of dollars over existing caps and allow the government to keep borrowing to cover its debts, amid grumbling from fiscal conservatives over the measure’s effect on the federal deficit.

Only 65 Republicans joined the Democratic majority in the 284-to-149 vote, with 132 Republicans voting against the bill, despite President Trump’s endorsement and pressure from some outside groups, including the Chamber of Commerce, to avoid a potentially catastrophic default on the government’s debt. Democrats had enough numbers to pass the deal without Republican support, despite misgivings from some liberals about its increases in military spending over the next two years. Only 16 of them voted no.

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