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US Senate Defense Spending Bill Advances

   Senators voted 63-33 in the pre-dawn hours Friday to end debate on the
   $636 billion package, clearing the way for a final vote on the measure
   Saturday. The House passed the bill earlier in the week.

   VOA News 18 December 2009

   In  an effort to clear its docket before the end of the year, the U.S.
   Senate has advanced a Defense Department spending bill.
   Senators voted 63-33 in the pre-dawn hours Friday to end debate on the
   $636 billion package, clearing the way for a final vote on the measure
   Saturday. The House passed the bill earlier in the week.
   The  bill  is the last of this year's major appropriations legislation
   left  in  Congress.  Along  with  Pentagon  funding,  the measure also
   includes  an  extension  for  unemployment  benefits,  and funding for
   portions of the anti-terror Patriot Act and Medicare legislation.
   The  vote  early  Friday  ended  efforts by the Republican minority to
   stall  debate.  Democrats needed to muster all 60 of their members and
   allies for the procedural vote. The majority argued stall tactics were
   being  used  to  prevent the Senate from considering the controversial
   health care reform measure.
   Anti-war  Democrat  Senator  Russ  Feingold had originally opposed the
   procedural  vote,  but  supported it because he said he recognized the
   Republican efforts were designed to kill health care reform.
   The  Senate  leadership has been working long hours and weekends in an
   effort  to finish health care reform legislation before the end of the
   year. The measure is a top priority of U.S. President Barack Obama.

   Some  information  for  this  report was provided by AP, Bloomberg and
   Reuters.

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