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The Senate passed legislation on Wednesday to fund the United States through the end of September, making a big step toward averting a threatened government at the end of this month.
Senators voted 73 to 26 to approve the bipartisan budget legislation, which provides just over $1 trillion in budget authority, a level of spending which reflects the spending cuts stipulated by the budget sequester that took effect at the beginning of March.
Consideration of this Senate bill – known as a “continuing resolution,” or “CR” – had stalled in recent weeks due to objections from conservative Republicans who said they wanted to read the bill and offer amendments. Democrats finally struck an agreement with Republicans on those amendments on Wednesday, allowing a final vote on passing the spending package to move forward.
The legislation now heads to the Republican-controlled House, which could take up the bill as soon as Thursday. Though the GOP had already passed its own version of the CR from the House, indications point toward passage of the Senate version. The law would then head to the White House for President Barack Obama’s signature.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., had threatened late evenings and weekend work – potentially through the Senate’s upcoming holiday recess to complete both the CR and work on Democrats’ first budget in four years.
After staving off a shutdown, lawmakers will next turn toward reconciling their different budget proposals ahead of a mid-May deadline to extend the nation’s borrowing authority. Immigration reform and proposed new restrictions on firearms also sit atop Congress’s springtime agenda.
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shut it down and then start cutting- 1 trillion in immediate cuts- and not cuts in the rate of growth like they've been doing.
Dismantle the Depts of Education, Energy, Labor, Transportation, and Health & Human Services.
Sell Federal lands!!!
yep larry has horse and buggy to travel...and old grandpa book for his education
poor elvis- so helpless that he cannot function unless big govt is taking care of him.
Larry Robinson-1323081===Elvis is always crying. He should to move to an area in the country that needs lots of rain. Elvis could possibly break the droughts.
Shame they can't be so quick over other burning issues that need urgent attention
Murray Mitchell----Quick??? This is their first budget in 4 years. Nothing quick about that. The arguing of the budget debates are not even close to being settled. There just starting.
let the government shut down. some people have to be in a train wreck before they know that we are off the tracks. a crash hurts everybody. then maybe we the people will kick their damn ass's
...it covers everything from soup to nuts so i'm certain all know what's in it. or is it another pelosi 'you gotta pass it to read it' bill? what a way to run a country!
This is pretty disgusting. Since the elections of 2010 we've lurched from one crisis to another, only to be solved at (or after) the last minute. It's no longer a matter of economics. It's become a matter of personal honor to some in Congress, especially the House. "If I yield an inch, I lose my honor."
All of this was prefigured during the 2010 GOP presidential debates when the Fox moderator asked the candidates how many would turn down a ten dollar cut in spending for a one dollar rise in revenue. All eight hands went up.
When the actual consequences of this intransigence become clear -- Gee, the airports in my small state may be closed -- everybody's hair is on fire and they run around hysterically looking for special dispensations.
Well, that's what happens when you cut off your nose to spite your face. Your face is disfigured.
hahaha yep i remember...the brain wash people...i would like to see there hands now?
Thats right just kick the can down the road! God forbid you actually do balance a budget!!
We can do without it. Its a tremendous waste of money!
Hard to believe that they are ACTUALLY threatening us with Government now!!!! I think this NBC reporter must have Typ-o blood in his veins today. Michael O'Brien - go get some Coffee dude! LOL
...phew? it does smell, doesn't it. the congress hasn't had a budget in four years, running from year to year on continuing resolutions. and now there's an omnibus spending bill that few have read and even fewer understand. a pelosi bill--one that must be passed in order to read it! what a way to run a country! we need a constitutional amendment to require a balanced budget be in place before the start of a fiscal year.
fire.camp====We need term limits to get rid of the same people that have been in Washington way to long. After a certain period of time they forget that they represent actually people back in their States. The only time we count is during an election. Other than that we are not even considered. If we were, we wouldn't be $16 Trillion Dollars in the hole. These are the very same institution that has spent our futures away, not theirs they will still get their money no matter what.
The Senate approval was never in doubt but in the House it will be a close vote. It will require 17 Republican votes they will come from Republican NY & NJ congressmen who remember the teabaggers vote on Sandy.
sharky.---Cone on Sharky your still hung up on the Tea Bagger thing? The Tea Party members are mostly Baby Boomers and that could be your parents or grand parents. Why don't you try using the Black Panthers approach. Just turn your icon into a gun or something. The Democrats have done very little when it comes to a budget. At least the Republicans and some Tea Party Members have something to offer. The Democrats have been dodging this issue for 4 years.
Sharky,
Yes, the Senate should be proud. They finally passed a budget that they were forced to do legally. Hip-hip hooray! LOLOLOLOL.
After Obama, Reid is the biggest problem this country has.....and the Tea Party is one of the few groups that is trying to solve the problem.
Get a clue dude.
Can you believe our totally clueless, babooze bureaucrats in congress and senate when they say, "work on Democrats’ first budget in four years." How many employers would put up with sorry workers who for four years, willfully failed to do their job? The same ones who are making federal workers take up to a 20% pay cut while they keep all their pay and bennies? Why do they see no problem with sticking it to the taxpayer while they live high on the hog? Clearly we need to make changes to stop their pay when core work requirements are not done on time, to standard. Term limits of 8 years, then a lifetime ban from any government/related work. You are done forever, move on. This is what they do for taxpayers, nothing.
voyager2k--- A agree with you completely. None of us could have gotten away with anything close to this at work. I say round them all up put them on buses and send them to Mexico as exiles never to return to the US again.
Now the House needs to get on it. Then the GOP can go back to planning their next election disaster.
“continuing resolution,”
Kicking the can down the road!!!
Baloney. No work is consistently completed or resolved in Washington whether it is open or closed.
every body has an opinion, and everybody has an arrhole. so believe what you want,and try for once to be respectful of someone opinion. so they make mistake in spelling so what. apperently you understood her point or you would have not replied. no need to give a name you know who you are. (i think)
A balanced budget would be nice. We had one in 2000. We even had a projected surplus. But nobody bellowed with rage when it was all given away. Now, suddenly, we must not only have a balanced budget, but it must be done in only ten years (with Ryan's budget), there must be an amendment passed, it must be done while lowering taxes to a point at which government is hardly sustainable, and there must be no cuts in defense spending.
We need to address the problem but is this the best way to do it -- get hysterical and reduce us to third-world status?
What's so bad about "debt" after all? Alexander Hamilton saw it as a way of promoting loyalty. Does anyone seriously believe that China, for instance, would like to see our economy collapse? With all the money we owe them? With all the cheap stuff we buy from them? They pray to Confucius for our welfare.
It's often said that nobody would manage a household budget this way, but that's nonsense. Every normal household is in debt -- mortgage payments, car payments, credit cards, bank loans. So are huge corporations. They go into debt every time they modernize their plants. Every share of stock, every corporate bond, is an IOU.
We have the soundest economy on earth. That's why other countries are buying US Treasuries, not Pesos, Euros, or Yuans. And some of us are terrified.
The national debt has increased every year since 1957 when Eisenhower was in the White House. Budget gimmicks do not make for a REAL balanced budget.
According to the CBO Director, our current budget, even after the budget caps from 2011, the fiscal cliff deal and the sequester cuts, is on an unsustainable course. Their analysis shows that another $5 trillion in deficit reduction over the next ten years is needed in order to get the federal government's finances onto a sustainable track.
Our economy is in trouble long term, and everyone in Washington (both parties) knows it. They are all avoiding the truth because it is going to take some painful medicine, especially for those in the middle class, to cure the problem.
You need to Google something like "national debt chart by president" to find out how wrong you are.
Notice the way i spelled apperently that was just for you. (lmao)
LOL want to have time to read the bill. What, who was it after Obama Care passed and said now Congress will have time to read and see what we passed. Gee give me a break ALL Congress members need to read before they vote. The motto is "read" not "Trust me, I know it is ok to vote yes"
I am sixty five laid off...unemployment ran out I have filled out 37 applications since November and more before that...you don't want to hire me....I will add to your taxes because you will have to take care of me one way or the other even if it is burial cost...screw the government I don't care what happens anymore I have to put down my 15 year old dog and my 18 year old cat because I cannot find work...Home Depot, Lowes, Michaels, Thomasville, oh and here's a good one...Hobby lobby...look them up...they are Christians...yeah right...
OH MY GOD! People must realize that foreigners are not going to risk their Money on the USA anymore! Conflicts have always been OK with them, but now we have a Socialist that thinks he can borrow even more to save us! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!! PLEASE vote GOP in 2014! My children are counting on it! PATHETIC!!!
Elizabeth! HANG IN THERE! Don't buy into their Socialist Garbage! We have your back, but we must take out those younger that HAVE NO CLUE! Good Luck!
I want people to figure this out! If you want the CRAP that is Socialism, then keep your support for the WHITE HOUSE! Good luck getting that past the supposed 47%! Thank GOD for our founding Fathers, because they could see this CRAP coming! WOW!
Seems the only time Politicians vote as the populace wants is when it ends up in their own family...
Portmon changed his mind about Gay Marriage when faced with a Gay Son...
Just imagine how quick these Politicians would flip when hunger comes home too roost or worse yet, DEATH knocks on their child's classroom door...
You can bet the Bribes they get from Lobbyist in the form of fund raising would not be worth it...
Hopefully it won't be worth it, but they sure have no problem turning their backs on America and her citizens for a few bucks..
And How about Obama evolving! FLIP Flopping to get elected! Gay Marriage is a NON ISSUE that was manufactured by the White House! And 66M fell for it! So SAD! The Other GUY had a resume! And would have addressed them with thought and temperence! WOW PATHETIC that our people can be so BLIND!
They only authorized $1,000,000,000,000 and that's not enough to let little kids see where the prophet resides according to the Democrats. Maybe he can get the Lincoln Memorial shrouded and the 'wall' destroyed. Hey Pigotry/Fiestey can you bring that up in your morning call with his highness.