US House passes bipartisan $1.1 trillion spending bill

Washington: The US House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a USD 1.1 trillion spending bill for fiscal year 2014, capping a months-long negotiation that signals a truce in three years of fiscal battles plaguing Washington.

The measure, which funds federal government under the budget framework hammered out by Democrats and Republicans last month, passed 359-67, in a strong show of bipartisanship that belies the intense bickering that has marked recent debates and over how -- and how much -- to fund government.

It now heads to the Senate, where it is expected to pass this week before being signed into law by President Barack Obama.

"It was very very difficult, but we did it," said House Democrat Barbara Lee, stressing that the compromise agreement "gets us out of this cycle of government by crisis."

It also eliminates the threat of a government shutdown this month, similar to the one that paralysed Washington for 16 days in October when Congress failed to agree on a budget.

The high-stakes omnibus spending bill sets discretionary spending limits line by line for each federal agency until September 30, when fiscal year 2014 ends.

The measure includes some USD 92 billion for foreign US military operations, mainly the war in Afghanistan, and USD 6.5 billion for extraordinary expenses linked to natural disasters.

"This bill is not perfect, I hate to tell you, but it is a good one," said veteran congressman Hal Rogers, powerful chairman of the House Appropriations Committee who steered negotiations on the spending.

Republicans hailed the deal for slashing discretionary spending for the fourth year in row.

And "by placing the power of the purse back in the hands of Congress and away from the executive branch, our representative Democracy is functioning the way our Founders had intended," number three House Republican Kevin McCarthy said in a statement.

Despite the savings trend, overall federal expenditures were set to rise slightly in 2014 as the deal erases painful and automatic spending cuts that were due to kick in on January 1 for the next two years.

The discretionary budget only represents about a third of federal public spending.

It does not include mandatory spending, such as the Medicare insurance program for the elderly and Social Security, set to reach USD 2.196 trillion in 2014, according to Congressional Budget Office estimates.