Washington – The House of Representatives passed a government spending bill after a marathon session this morning that slashes more than US$60 billion in federal funding for the seven months remaining in the 2011 fiscal year.
The vote on the GOP measure won by a 235-189 margin, at a vote that occurred right before 5 a.m.
The fight over spending now moves to the Senate, but with President Obama already issuing a veto threat of the House bill and Senate Democratic leaders calling the cuts “extreme,” the specter of a government shutdown looms. Only two weeks remain before the current resolution funding federal agencies expires.
The vote followed a rare open debate on the House floor over four days, and included literally hundreds of amendments, from defunding the new health care law, to eliminating money for a controversial backup engine for the F-35 fighter jet, and zeroing out federal funds for Planned Parenthood. (CNN)
