Even if the spending bill did manage to pass the upper chamber, the White House has already vowed to veto the measure should it reach President Joe Biden’s desk.
—
The House passed the first of its 12 annual spending bills on Wednesday, marking the beginning of the drawn-out and likely partisan battle to finalize the budget for the 2025 fiscal year as Republicans and Democrats already disagree on measures being brought to the negotiating table.
Lawmakers voted 209-197 to advance the appropriations bill for Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, the first spending bill to pass the lower chamber under the regime of newly elected Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK). The bill passed largely along party lines, with only four Democrats joining nearly all Republicans in backing the measure — making it likely dead on arrival in the Democratic-led Senate.
