Senate Republicans fail to block spending bill
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2009-12-12-spending-bill_N.htm?csp=24&RM_Exclude=JunoWASHINGTON (AP) — The Democratic-controlled Senate has defeated a Republican attempt to block a final vote on a huge year-end spending bill.
The 60-34 vote to end debate during a rare Saturday session sets the stage for a final vote Sunday afternoon on the $1.1 trillion measure. The bill combines generous increases for domestic agencies and foreign aid with a 2% average pay raise for federal workers.
The 1,000-plus page bill includes $447 billion in operating budgets with about $650 billion in payments for federal benefit programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, which provides health coverage to the elderly and poor. It also contains more than 5,000 projects sought by lawmakers in both parties for their home states.