WASHINGTON — A massive spending bill with increases long sought by Democrats for education, health and job-training programs passed the Senate on Wednesday despite a promised veto.
The measure, passed 56-37, would be the first of 12 spending bills for the budget year that began Oct. 1 to reach President Bush. The veto would be his first of a regular appropriations bill.
The tally was short of the veto-proof margin that a nearly identical bill earned last month.
The upcoming veto would be the first skirmish in a fight promised by Bush over Democrats’ efforts to add about $23 billion for domestic programs to his $933 billion cap for agency budgets that are passed by Congress each year.
The $606 billion House-Senate compromise measure passed the Senate after Republicans used procedural tactics to remove $65 billion for veterans’ programs and military base construction. The legislation contains $151 billion in discretionary money directly under lawmakers’ control.
Democrats had attached the $65 billion for veterans’ programs to the education and health measure in hopes in winning enough GOP votes to override Bush’s veto.
The strategy backfired in the House on Tuesday night – falling five votes short of the two-thirds to override a veto – and unraveled completely in the Senate on Wednesday.
The labor, health and job training heads back to the House for a final vote as early as today and then to the White House.
