Senate approves $1.1T spending bill

NEW YORK (AA) - The Senate on Thursday voted to pass an omnibus spending bill worth $1.1 trillion to avert a potential government shutdown.

After the 79-18 vote, the bill to fund the U.S. government through September is headed to President Donald Trump's desk for approval.

Lawmakers were forced to pass a short-term spending bill last Friday that funded the government for a week in order to give them more time to compromise on longer-term spending legislation.

The uneventful Senate approval follows Wednesday's vote in the House, completing the passage of the first major bipartisan piece of legislation that has made its way through both chambers of Congress since Trump assumed office in January.

Republicans were able to get support from across the aisle to pass a critical 60-vote threshold in the Senate, where they hold a 52-seat majority.

While it increases military spending by $15 billion, the bill does not include several of Trump's controversial proposals -- most notably funding for his much-touted wall along the southern U.S. border with Mexico.