Budget measure clears Senate

Trump likely to sign debt deal, averting shutdown possibility

WASHINGTON — A hard-won budget and debt deal easily cleared the Senate on Thursday, powered by President Donald Trump’s endorsement and a bipartisan drive to cement recent spending increases for the Pentagon and domestic agencies.

The legislation passed by a 67-28 vote as Trump and his GOP allies relied on Democratic votes to propel it over the finish line.

Passage marked a drama-free solution to a worrisome set of Washington deadlines as both allies and adversaries of the president set aside ideology for relative fiscal peace and stability. The measure, which Trump has promised to sign, would permit the government to resume borrowing to pay all of its bills and would set an overall $1.37 trillion limit on agency budgets approved by Congress annually.

It does nothing to stem the government’s debt and the return of $1 trillion-plus deficits, but it takes away the prospect of a government shutdown in October or the threat of automatic spending cuts.

The administration and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-calif., played strong hands in the talks that sealed the agreement last week, producing a pragmatic measure that had much for lawmakers to dislike.

Trump stepped back from a possible fight over spending increases sought by liberals, and he achieved his priorities on Pentagon budgets and the stock market-soothing borrowing limit.

“Budget Deal is phenomenal for our Great Military, our Vets, and Jobs, Jobs, Jobs!” Trump tweeted before the vote. “Two year deal gets us past the Election. Go for it Republicans, there is always plenty of time to CUT!”

Pelosi won Democratic unity in pushing the bill through the House last week.

Democrats in the Gop-controlled Senate delivered most of their votes for the deal. Many of the more solidly conservative Republicans said it allowed for unchecked borrowing and too much spending.

The bill was powered by a coalition of GOP defense hawks, Democrats seeking to preserve gains in domestic accounts, and the leaders of the House and Senate Appropriations committees.

“Providing sufficient funding for our military and eliminating the threat of sequestration for good are absolutely necessary for our military to have the budgetary stability and predictability they so desperately need,” said the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. James Inhofe, R-okla.