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full screen The US Congress has two chambers: the House of Representatives and the Senate. Archive image. Photo: J David Ake/AP/TT
The House of Representatives in the US Congress has approved a package of 460 billion dollars, equivalent to roughly 4,700 billion kroner, to finance important federal agencies for the rest of the budget year.
The proposal, which was approved by a vote of 339-85, is expected to be considered by the Senate before the deadline at midnight on Friday.
Lawmakers are negotiating a second package of six bills, in an effort to get all federal agencies fully funded by the March 22 deadline.
The expenses that do not relate to defense in this year’s budget proposal are relatively unchanged compared to the previous year. Many congressional Republicans have called for bigger cuts in the budget, and a group of the party’s most conservative members urged their colleagues to vote against the first spending package and also to oppose the negotiation of the second.