House Passes Spending Bill, Without ObamaCare

And we're off: The House has passed a temporary funding measure to keep the government running. As expected, the bill is coupled with a Tea Party-backed measure to block President Obama's new healthcare law. The 230 -189 vote sets the stage for a confrontation with the Democratic-led Senate. The Senate promises to strip the "defund ObamaCare" provision from the bill next week and will challenge the House to pass it as a straightforward funding bill that Obama will sign.

The White House promises Obama would veto the measure in the unlikely event it reaches him. At issue is the need to pass a short-term funding bill to prevent a partial government shutdown when the budget year ends on Sept. 30. Washington's longstanding budget stalemate has derailed the annual appropriations bills required to fund federal agency operations. (More Congress stories.)