News Staff posted on March 21, 2013 11:34
The U.S. House of Representatives approved and sent to the White House on Thursday, March 21, a stopgap spending bill passed by the U.S. Senate on Wednesday to avert any threat of a government shutdown next week.
The bill would keep agencies funded through the end of September in the wake of automatic cuts ordered under sequestration. Final passage came on a 318-109 vote in the House, as top Republicans opted to embrace significant changes approved by the Senate rather than risk further delay.
The House also passed Rep. Paul Ryan's 2014 budget, 221-207 on a mostly party-line vote. The spending plan aims to bring the federal books into balance in 10 years by repealing President Barack Obama's healthcare law, overhauling Medicare and paring back government spending. The House and Senate are now slated to recess for two weeks.