Senate Passes Continuous Resolution Funding Bill before leaving

Was watching in the wee hours of the morning this morning. 

RTTNews) - The U.S. Senate passed a continuing resolution Saturday to fund the federal government through March of next year, a vital stopgap measure that will also increase the federal budget by 0.6 percent come January.

The resolution, the last piece of legislation passed before Congress takes a break to campaign before elections on November 6, passed after Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., dropped calls to cut U.S. aid to Pakistan, Libya and Egypt.

Paul's bill held up voting on the funding measure for almost a week after the House passed their version last Friday. Although Paul's measure was struck down, lawmakers did come to agreement over language condemning Iran's nuclear program.

The Iran bill, which passed 90-1, doesn't have the force of law. But it does represent rare bipartisan agreement on a pertinent issue of foreign affairs and defense policy. Paul voted against the measure because he said it was "a vote for preemptive war."

The funding bill passed with less Republican support by a vote of 62-30. Many in the GOP were disappointed after massive spending cuts introduced in the House version were dropped to meet the October 1 deadline and avoiding a government shutdown.

Senator Bob Corker, R-Tenn., voted against the funding bill, saying no spending bill should be passed until a budget is passed. This hasn't happened in three years - or 1,241 days as Corker pointed out.

"I don't believe we should be considering a continuing resolution or any spending bill until we have done the basic job of prioritizing how taxpayer dollars are spent and at what levels," Corker said in an email statement.

"If the Senate can't perform its most basic responsibilities, I worry about how we're going to make the tough decisions and do the hard work that will be necessary to get our country on a path to fiscal solvency," he added.

"We're being asked to pass yet another measure to keep things going another six months so we can all go home for the election and worry later about this country's growing debt," Manchin said in a speech on the Senate floor late Friday night.

"Well, a 'baker's dozen' is just one too many for me. Enough is enough. I can't vote for this measure to simply kick the can further down the road another six months. This can't go on," he added.

The Congress also leaves a raft of un-passed legislation behind as it adjourns to campaign. President Barack Obama criticized lawmakers for this in his weekly presidential address Saturday, echoing some legislators calls to stay inWashington until all business is finished.

Obama's a good one to talk! Instead of campaigning for the past 4 years, he should have stayed in Washington and acted like a President.