WASHINGTON, December 14 (Sputnik) – The $1.1 trillion spending bill for 2015, approved by the Senate in a 56 to 40 vote on Saturday, will now go to US President Barack Obama to be signed into law. Earlier in the day, Obama signed a temporary funding bill to keep the government running through December 17.
It had been expected that voting for the final budget would face obstacles in the Senate, mainly over disagreements between Republicans and Democrats over the financing of Obama’s immigration reform. However, the Senators have reached a surprisingly swift agreement on the bill, which will fund most of the US federal government through September.
14 December 2014, 02:56 GMT
The Department of Homeland Security will only be funded through February, which will allow House and Senate Republicans to revisit the immigration reform issue and challenge it next year.
The House passed the $1.1 trillion spending bill just hours before the US government's spending authority was due to expire on Thursday, averting a shutdown.
Last year, the US Congress could not agree either on an annual federal budget or a short-term funding bill, which led to a partial US government shutdown.
