Senate passes massive defense and health spending bill, tries to delay border wall fight to after...

Source: The Washington Post



Senate passes massive defense and health spending bill, tries to delay border wall fight to after midterms

By Erica Werner
September 18 at 1:14 PM

The Senate on Tuesday passed a short-term spending bill that would keep the government running through Dec. 7, aiming to put off a fight over funding for President Trump’s border wall until after the midterm elections.

The legislation came attached to a massive budget package that contains full-year 2019 funding for the Pentagon as well as for the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education departments. GOP leaders designed the package to combine key Republican and Democratic priorities in an attempt to garner overwhelming bipartisan support — and give Trump a win on military spending, even as Congress delays a fight over the money he wants for his wall.

The 93-7 vote Tuesday came less than two weeks ahead of the Sept. 30 deadline when government funding will run out without action by Congress and Trump.

The legislation would keep the Homeland Security Department — which funds the border wall — operating through Dec. 7 at 2018 budget levels, along with other agencies whose 2019 budgets Congress has not yet acted on.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/senate-passes-massive-defense-and-health-spending-bill-punts-border-wall-fight-to-december/2018/09/18/ed6f8436-bb56-11e8-9812-a389be6690af_story.html