Congress Passes Three-Day Spending Bill To Keep Government Open

Congress has approved a three-day continuing resolution to keep the government open past Wednesday so it can complete work on the fiscal 2014 spending package.

The Senate passed the measure Wednesday afternoon, after the House approved it on Tuesday. The short-term spending bill now heads to President Obama who said he will sign it.

“I ask the Senate to pass this continuing resolution because it’s a technical situation,” said Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., on the floor Wednesday before the vote. “We just need a couple of hours to complete the job. I can assure my colleagues that this very short extension is status quo.” The measure extends the current CR, which expires at the end of Wednesday, through Saturday. Mikulski said she and House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers, R-Ky., as well as committee staff, worked through the holidays to get the omnibus package in shape for lawmakers to consider quickly in January.

The omnibus package includes 12 separate spending bills funding the government through fiscal 2014. The House plans to vote on the omnibus on Wednesday, while the Senate will take a few more days to review the 1,582-page bill.