Congress Averts Shutdown, for Now

The House passed a spending bill today to fund the government for six weeks, delaying a series of battles over spending and policy that include everything from labor law and environmental regulations to abortion and the Pentagon budget. The 352-66 vote sent the measure to President Obama in time to avert a government shutdown at midnight. That ended a skirmish over disaster aid that seemed to signal far more trouble ahead as Obama and a divided Congress begin ironing out hundreds of differences, big and small, on a $1 trillion-plus pile of 12 unfinished spending bills.

Fifty-three Republicans defected on the measure. For weeks, officials fought over disaster aid after the House insisted that $1 billion in emergency aid for victims of Hurricane Irene and other natural disasters should have been offset by cuts elsewhere in the budget. House and Senate Democrats strongly opposed the idea, particularly over House GOP cuts to a loan guarantee program that helps automakers retool factories to meet new fuel economy standards. But a face-saving compromise last week—the Senate dropped both the $1 billion in aid and the cuts to clean energy programs—paved the way for today's vote. (More House of Representatives stories.)