THE PROGRESSIVE REVIEW - December 11, 2014

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* Congress unveils $1.1 trillion spending bill *
WASHINGTON (UPI) - U.S. lawmakers late Tuesday came to an agreement on a $1.1 trillion spending bill just two days shy of a potential government shutdown.

The package, should it be passed, includes 11 appropriations bills would fund the government through September, with the exception of the Department of Homeland Security, which runs out of money early next year.

"This bill fulfills our constitutional duty to fund the government, preventing damage from shutdown politics that are bad for the economy, cost jobs and hurt middle class families," Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., and Rep. Hal Rogers, R-Ky., said in a joint statement.

"While not everyone got everything they wanted, such compromises must be made in a divided government," they added.

The House and Senate are now expected to vote on a stopgap package to fund the government for the few days it will take the chambers to review the spending bill and pass it.

The spending package is expected to come to a vote in the House on Thursday and will most likely be worked on in the Senate on Friday or into the weekend.

In contention with the bill is funding of agencies that would see to the implementation of President Barack Obama's executive action on immigration, which would shield five million undocumented immigrants from deportation. Republicans hoped by limiting DHS funding, they will be able to overturn the action once they seize control of the House and the Senate in January.

Some members of the Republican party said they plan to block the bill because it doesn't go far enough to halt DHS funding.

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