Senate Republicans blocked a $410 billion omnibus spending measure on Thursday night, forcing Congressional Democrats to prepare a stopgap budget resolution to keep the federal government from shutting down.
Senate Republican aides said they expected the bill to be approved next week after Republican lawmakers were allowed to offer additional amendments.
Although Republicans were glad to needle the Democrats by delaying the bill, there are reasons not to scuttle it. Doing so would result in a $8.4 million budget cut for Senate Republican committees, forcing staff layoffs.
Also, Republicans, like Democrats, would lose the home-state projects, or earmarks, totaling more than $7 billion in the bill.
In all, the bill would provide about $19 billion more than if a stopgap measure were used through the end of the fiscal year.
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The Obama administration had called the bill “last year’s business” because it represented the balance of President George W. Bush’s final budget. White House officials said President Obama would sign the measure despite criticism from Mr. McCain and others that he was not doing enough to curb the wasteful ways of Washington. And the delay will only further highlight Mr. Obama’s support.
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