US Senate rejects House stop-gap budget plan
Updated: 2011-09-24 10:57
(Xinhua)
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WASHINGTON - The US Senate on Friday rejected a short-term funding bill the House of Representatives passed hours earlier, intensifying the latest budget fight which could result in partial shutdown of the federal government if parties fail to compromise.
The Democratic-led Senate voted 59 to 36 to table the Republican-controlled House bill, which funds the federal government through November 18. Both chambers have to pass spending measures with identical languages by September 30, when the current fiscal year ends, or part of the government will cease operation.
Senate Democrats opposed the level of disaster aid in the House bill and objected to offsetting the funding for disaster aid with additional spending cut.
The House measure included a total of $3.6 billion in disaster relief, which was less than the amount President Barack Obama requested and the Senate approved. To offset this funding, the measure contained 1.5-billion-dollar cut from an advanced technology manufacturing program for the auto industry, as well as 100-million-dollar cut in an alternative energy loan fund.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid scheduled a Monday vote on an alternative Democratic budget plan, which does not include provisions to offset disaster aid funding. But it's unclear whether he could garner enough support for the bill given Republicans' hard-line stance on spending cut.
However, both parties seemed to have incentive to strike a deal to avoid a shutdown, as voters are getting tired, even disgusted, of partisan politics after prolonged budget fights since the start of this year. Democrats and Republicans clashed on how to fund the government through the current fiscal year before reaching an agreement in April. They also fought hard to eventually reach a debt ceiling deal in August.
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