Senate approves funding bill to avert government shutdown

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

Senate approves funding bill to avert government shutdown

WASHINGTON | Wed Mar 20, 2013 6:25pm EDT

(Reuters) - The Senate on Wednesday approved legislation to avert a government shutdown next week, freeing Democrats and Republicans to spend the next few months arguing over deeply divided strategies to shrink longer-term budget deficits.

The bill, which would keep government agencies and programs funded through the end of the fiscal year on September 30, must go back to the House of Representative for final approval on Thursday.

House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers said he was pleased with the bill and believes it can pass the Republican-controlled House.

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The measure, approved by a 73-26 vote, keeps in place $85 billion in automatic spending cuts, but it offers the military and some domestic agencies more flexibility to shift funds within these reduced budgets to higher-priority programs.

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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/20/us-usa-fiscal-senate-idUSBRE92J16520130320

[backscatter712]

1. Does this also end the sequester?

The blurb says "keeps in place $85B in automatic spending cuts, but offers the military and some domestic agencies more flexibility to shift funds in those reduced budgets" - does this mean that instead of sequester, the .gov can trim the fat in a less insane way?