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The Republican-run Senate on Friday voted 84-13 to approve an annual defense bill, with the move relieving some concerns that a partial federal government shutdown could start at midnight.
Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky had objected late Thursday to the National Defense Authorization Act, raising the prospect of a shutdown because a one-week spending bill that would keep the government funded was caught up in the dispute. But Paul told CNN on Friday that he would let the short-term spending bill go forward and had just wanted to “hold things up for a day” on the NDAA.
Even so, other hurdles still could arise for the one-week spending bill, which President Donald Trump must sign into law by midnight in order to prevent a shutdown.
Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, the independent and former Democratic presidential hopeful, have called for attaching an amendment to the spending bill that would provide $1,200 stimulus checks to Americans.
“Congress cannot go on recess without providing this $1,200 emergency assistance to the American people in their time of need,” Sanders said in a statement.
Related: Trump pushes for $600 stimulus checks as Democrats press for double that
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, also a Kentucky Republican, on Friday morning urged his fellow senators to pass the spending bill, known as a continuing resolution or CR, and he called for approval of the defense bill and COVID-19 relief.
“The Senate needs to pass a stopgap funding measure today to prevent a lapse while the bipartisan, bicameral efforts close in on a full-year funding bill, and we need to advance what will be the 60th annual defense authorization bill,” McConnell said on the Senate floor.
The majority leader repeated his call for a COVID relief package that has no liability shield and no state and local aid. He said: “I propose setting aside both liability protections and state and local bailouts and making law where we can agree.” But Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, the New York Democrat, again rejected that offer.
Read more: COVID relief talks remain stuck in Congress over state aid, liability
The Democratic-run House already has passed the one-week spending bill and the defense measure. The House approved the NDAA on Tuesday in a 335-78 vote, more than the two-thirds required to override a potential presidential veto.
Trump has threatened a veto unless lawmakers clamp down on social media companies such as Facebook FB, -1.47% and Twitter TWTR, -0.30% that he claims were biased against him during the election. But his push for that looks doomed, as the Senate also passed the defense bill with more than enough votes to override a veto.
U.S. stocks DJIA, +0.11% were losing ground Friday and on track for weekly losses, after the S&P 500 SPX, -0.33% and Nasdaq Composite COMP, -0.56% closed at record levels on Tuesday.
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