$854 Billion Spending Bill
Approved by the US Senate The massive spending bill was approved by a Senate vote of 93-7. The bill includes funding for
the Department of Defense,
Health and Human Services
and Labor and Education. The package equates to about two-thirds of Congress's 2019 spending. Senators from both sides
of the aisle agreed to
avoid attaching partisan
riders to the legislation — Mitch McConnell, Senate Majority Leader (R-KY), via The Hill The House is expected to take up the funding when it returns next week. Funding in the bill for the Department of Homeland Security does not include money for Trump's border wall. The deadline to keep the government funded is September 30.