WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The measure was approved on Wednesday afternoon after the US Senate, the upper chamber of Congress, approved similar legislation by a voice vote earlier the day.
The move was taken to give Congress a breathing space to put the finishing touches to an omnibus $1.1 billion spending bill that was agreed in talks between Republican legislators led by House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan with congressional Democrats on Tuesday.
The spending bill wraps 12 separate pieces of legislation together to authorize $548 billion in defense spending, $518 billion in non-defense spending, and $73.7 billion in extra appropriations for the Department of Defense to finance continuing military operations.
Ryan also won approval for $629 billion in tax breaks.
