WASHINGTON (AP) — The GOP-controlled House has passed a $145 billion spending bill funding the Energy Department and veterans’ programs for the upcoming budget year.
Approval of the measure came over the opposition of Democrats on a 235-179 vote that sent the three-bill bundle to the Senate, where action is expected to be more bipartisan.
The legislation includes a $5 billion increase for the Department of Veterans Affairs, including $1.1 billion to pay for legislation signed on Wednesday by President Donald Trump give veterans more freedom to see doctors outside the troubled VA system.
At issue is the annual process of annually funding the day-to-day operations of the federal government, one of the chief duties of lawmakers.
