US Congress passes 2015 spending bill after bruising fight

WASHINGTON: The US Congress passed a $1.1-trillion spending bill for fiscal year 2015 Saturday, capping a week of acrimonious wrangling while averting a government shutdown and sending the measure to President Barack Obama.
The bill, which narrowly cleared the House of Representatives on Thursday and survived a series of procedural hurdles to pass the Senate 56 votes to 40 during a rare weekend session, funds nearly all federal government agencies through next September.
But by funding the Department of Homeland Security until only February, it sets up a showdown over Obama’s controversial immigration plan early next year, when a Congress under full Republican control will take another shot at rolling back the executive order shielding millions from deportation, according to a news agency.