US House clears funding Bill to avert shutdown

Washington, December 12

It’s now up to the US Senate to pass a huge $1.1 trillion government-wide spending Bill after the Obama White House and Republicans joined forces to push it through the House over objections from Democrats that it would roll back bank regulations imposed in the wake of the economic near-meltdown of 2008.

The 219-206 vote late yesterday managed to avert the threat of a government shutdown and the House passed a measure providing a 48-hour extension in existing funding to give the Senate time to act on the larger bill.

In a rare public rebuke of President Barack Obama, Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said she was “enormously disappointed” he had decided to embrace the Bill, which she described as an attempt at legislative blackmail by House Republicans.

The White House noted its own objections to the bank-related proposal in a written statement. But officials said Obama and Vice President Joe Biden both called Democrats in an attempt to secure enough votes for passage of the broader measure. — AP