(MENAFN- AFP) A $1.3 trillion spending plan easily passed the US House Thursday but faces a potential roadblock in the Senate, where a lone lawmaker could slow the legislation, possibly sending the government into its third shutdown of 2018.
With a Friday midnight funding deadline looming, the catch-all bill comfortably passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 256-167, and those lawmakers began their rapid exit from Washington to start a two-week holiday.
The bill was introduced late Wednesday after weeks of haggling, leaving lawmakers mere hours to peruse and vote on a mega-bill that will touch every aspect of American life.
Even though President Donald Trump has given his blessing to the bipartisan deal, its fate in the Senate was up in the air, with one of Trump's fellow Republicans, Rand Paul, threatening to stall the voting process.
"I think you ought to read the bills before we vote on them," Paul told Fox News. "I've been working all day diligently through the bill and I'm up to page 600."
The bill sets defense spending levels at $700 billion for this fiscal year ending September 30, an increase of $61 billion over the 2017 cap. Non-defense domestic spending will reach $591 billion, an increase of about 10 percent.
House Speaker Paul Ryan called it a vote "to rebuild our military, secure our borders, and give our service members their largest pay raise in eight years," while Democrats sounded pleased at the outcome of negotiations.
"Overall, we Democrats are very happy with what we were able to accomplish on a number of priorities to the middle class and America, including infrastructure, education, opioids, mental health, and child care," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said.
The White House acknowledged it did not fulfill all of its wishes, but said Trump was ready to sign on.
"Is it perfect? No," acknowledged Mick Mulvaney, the director of the Office of Management and Budget. "Is it exactly what we asked for? No."
Even while professing his support, Trump lamented having to "waste money" on "Dem giveaways" to secure the military funding.
- 'No one has read it' -
Several Republican senators had been aiming for a late Thursday vote, but Paul put the brakes on the bill's momentum.
"Well here it is, all 2,232 budget-busting pages," Paul groused on Twitter, alongside a photo of himself holding a massive stack of paper.
"No one has read it. Congress is broken."
The quick-to-filibuster Republican forced a brief government shutdown last month over the budget, by refusing to consent to leadership's request to hold a quick vote before the deadline.
He could be the spoiler again.
The Senate can act quickly, but only with consent from all members. An objection by a single senator can drag out the process.
Paul's office would not say whether he would block a swift vote -- a move that could trigger what would be the third US government shutdown of 2018, and a deep embarrassment for the Republican-led Congress ahead of mid-term elections in November.
Paul, a fiscal conservative who blasted the so-called omnibus bill by saying it would blow a hole in the deficit, remained mysterious about his intentions.
"It's never been my goal to shut down government," he told Fox.
But if Paul or others do not yield, the earliest leadership could hold a vote would be early Saturday -- after the government funding deadline.
"I don't think we know for sure what Rand's going to do yet," Republican Senator John Thune told reporters.
- 'Extremely disappointed' -
The spending bill provides $1.6 billion -- far less than Trump wanted -- for border security and construction or repair of nearly 100 miles (160 kilometers) of border fencing and barriers, boosts infrastructure spending, and increases funds for student grants.
It leaves intact funding for women's health provider Planned Parenthood, a target of relentless criticism from pro-life Republicans.
But in a major blow to Democrats, it fails to include protections for undocumented immigrants who arrived in the country illegally as children.
And it leaves out a long-sought provision to stabilize the health insurance market by funding subsidies that could lower rates for low-income families by 40 percent.
That negotiation apparently broke down over disputes about abortion-related language in the bill.
"I'm extremely disappointed," said the provision's co-author, Senate Republican Susan Collins.
Among the sensitive issues included is gun safety, which has been a national focus following multiple school shootings, including one in Parkland, Florida that killed 17 people.
One provision strengthens compliance with background checks for firearm sales, and another reverses what has essentially served as a ban on federal research on gun violence.
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