US budget clears Congress
The plan would fund the government through 2015 while limiting automatic spending cuts by approximately $63 billion, and would set federal spending at just over $1 trillion in 2014.
The US Senate voted 64-36 Wednesday to pass a budget framework that, if signed by US President Barack Obama, will avoid a government shutdown and last-minute political brinkmanship over the federal budget for two years. The plan would fund the government through 2015 while limiting automatic spending cuts by approximately $63 billion, and would set federal spending at just over $1 trillion in 2014 with a slight increase in 2015. The US deficit, a strongly polarizing issue, would also be reduced by $23 billion. Nine Republicans joined with each of the Senate’s 53 Democrats and two independents to pass the measure. At least 51 of the Senate’s 100 lawmakers were needed for the budget bill to pass. US President Barack Obama has previously voiced his support for the budget agreement, and is expected to sign it in to law.
