US Senate Advances $1.66 Trillion Government-Funding Bill

A $1.66 trillion government spending bill drew overwhelming bipartisan support in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday as lawmakers steered it toward passage before a weekend deadline to avoid a partial shutdown of federal agencies.
Democratic and Republican negotiators agreed early Tuesday morning on the sweeping bill to fund the federal government through the end of its fiscal year on Sept. 30, raising funding from about $1.5 trillion in the last fiscal year.
The Senate voted 70-25 to proceed to debate of the bill, with some Republican senators hoping to offer amendments.
A handful of conservative Senate Republicans on Tuesday said they objected to the bill, but would not try to stop its passage….}