The House of Representatives has passed a stopgap spending measure to keep the government running through April 8. The continuing resolution, which passed by a 271-158 margin, includes $6 billion in discretionary spending cuts. Now it heads over to the Democratic-controlled Senate, whose leaders have been receptive to a short-term fix that would buy time to broker a deal that covers the rest of the fiscal year.
The three-week reprieve is likely to be the last. After just 6 Republicans opposed the first CR, 54 broke ranks with party bosses to reject today’s measure, citing reasons ranging from opposition to piecemeal funding to its omission of riders to de-fund items like “Obamacare” and Planned Parenthood. And the rank-and-file aren’t the only ones growing weary of funding the government a few weeks at a time; House leaders on both sides expressed frustration with the process. “Yes, we’ve got some members who want to do more,” House Speaker John Boehner said before the vote. “We’ve got members who think we ought to add riders to this. We’ve been in conversations with the Senate and the White House. We’re hopeful that we’ll have a long-term continuing resolution through Sept. 30, and we’re hopeful that we’ll have it soon.”
