The U.S. House of Representatives on December 16 approved by a vote of 296-121 a $1 trillion spending bill to keep the federal government funded for the rest of the fiscal year, preventing a midnight shutdown.
The measure now goes to the U.S. Senate, which is expected to follow suit and give its approval before the end of the weekend.
In the meantime, the Senate and House continue to spar over a payroll tax cut, jobless benefits, and Medicare payment cuts to doctors. The issue is how to balance an extension of the payroll tax cut at a cost of approximately $120 billion, extend unemployment benefits to long-term jobless Americans, and prevent a reduction in Medicare payments to physicians, which would add billions of dollars to the budget.
On December 13, a spending bill that prevents an across-the-board 27% cut to Medicare physician reimbursement passed the U.S. House along partisan lines, 234-193, and was sent to the U.S. Senate for consideration. Its chances of passing in the Senate were seen as slim, however, due to several provisions opposed by Democrats.
