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| US Congress passes huge spending bill ahead of shutdown deadline | US Congress passes huge spending bill ahead of shutdown deadline |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| The US Senate has completed congressional approval of a sweeping $1.3tn (£921bn) package to fund the government until September. | The US Senate has completed congressional approval of a sweeping $1.3tn (£921bn) package to fund the government until September. |
| Senators passed the 2,232-page bill in a 65-32 vote early on Friday, hours after the House backed it. | Senators passed the 2,232-page bill in a 65-32 vote early on Friday, hours after the House backed it. |
| President Donald Trump is now expected to sign the bill into law ahead of a Friday midnight deadline. | |
| This would fund the federal government until 30 September, and avert another government shutdown. | This would fund the federal government until 30 September, and avert another government shutdown. |
| The US had already had two government shutdowns this year. | |
| The vote in the Senate early on Friday caps weeks of haggling over a number of key issues dividing lawmakers. | |
| But the bill does not address the fate of young immigrants brought illegally to the US by their parents, a group who were protected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (Daca) programme until President Trump ended it in September. | |
| 'The Wall' | |
| Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan celebrated the package as a means to enact President Trump's policy positions. | Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan celebrated the package as a means to enact President Trump's policy positions. |
| "This bill starts construction on the wall," he told reporters in a news conference on Capitol Hill. | "This bill starts construction on the wall," he told reporters in a news conference on Capitol Hill. |
| "It funds our war on opioids. It invests in infrastructure. It funds school safety and mental health," he continued. | "It funds our war on opioids. It invests in infrastructure. It funds school safety and mental health," he continued. |
| It provides $1.6bn in funding for Mr Trump's border wall, far short of the $25bn the White House had sought. | It provides $1.6bn in funding for Mr Trump's border wall, far short of the $25bn the White House had sought. |
| It also includes a provision that would legally allow the slaughter of wild horses roaming the American West as well as boosting military spending. | |
| In a last-minute addition, it added funds to include the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) for gun sales. | In a last-minute addition, it added funds to include the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) for gun sales. |
| It includes a 9% budget increase for the US National Park Service to address a repair backlog that advocates say are urgently needed. | It includes a 9% budget increase for the US National Park Service to address a repair backlog that advocates say are urgently needed. |
| "This is a necessary investment with broad returns, and we hope this trend continues," in future spending bills, said Kristen Brengel of the non-profit National Parks Conservation Association. | "This is a necessary investment with broad returns, and we hope this trend continues," in future spending bills, said Kristen Brengel of the non-profit National Parks Conservation Association. |
| What about the Dreamers? | |
| The Daca programme had protected roughly 700,000 immigrants known as "Dreamers". A deal on Daca was not included in the spending bill because Republicans and Democrats could not agree a trade-off. | |
| The White House and Republicans offered Democrats a two-and-a-half or three-year Daca extension in return for including the $25b that Mr Trump wanted for the wall, reports say. | |
| Democrats are reported to have said they would accept that, but only if a path to citizenship was created for all the 1.8m people eligible for Daca. | |
| The White House rejected this and came back with another proposal but ultimately nothing was agreed. | |
| "Democrats refused to take care of DACA. Would have been so easy, but they just didn't care," Mr Trump tweeted. | |
| Are both sides happy? | |
| House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi called it "a tremendous victory for the American people". | House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi called it "a tremendous victory for the American people". |
| "If you want to think you're getting a wall, just think it and sign the bill," she said, in a remark aimed at Mr Trump's Republican supporters in Congress. | "If you want to think you're getting a wall, just think it and sign the bill," she said, in a remark aimed at Mr Trump's Republican supporters in Congress. |
| But despite cross-party support, at least 90 conservative Republicans objected to the measure, calling it government spending run amok. | But despite cross-party support, at least 90 conservative Republicans objected to the measure, calling it government spending run amok. |
| "This omnibus [spending bill] doesn't just forget the promises we made to voters, it flatly rejects them," Representative Mark Meadows, head of the hardline House Freedom Caucus, said after the vote. | "This omnibus [spending bill] doesn't just forget the promises we made to voters, it flatly rejects them," Representative Mark Meadows, head of the hardline House Freedom Caucus, said after the vote. |
| "This is wrong. This is not the limited government conservatism our voters demand." | "This is wrong. This is not the limited government conservatism our voters demand." |