House to Vote on $1.2 Trillion Spending Deal Hours Before Shutdown Deadline

The House is set to vote on a $1.2 trillion spending package on March 22 to fund 70 percent of the government and therefore avert a partial shutdown. While the House will likely pass it overwhelmingly, as demonstrated by an expedited process that requires a two-thirds majority for passage—in addition to Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) waiving the House rule that requires members to have 72 hours to review legislation before it is voted on—how fast it will pass the Senate is uncertain. The bill could pass the Senate quickly if no senator objects to expediting the process. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), a libertarian and spending hawk, has not ruled out slowing down the bill’s passage in the Senate, telling The Hill he would try to amend the package, which could result in delaying passing the bill on time. ...