US Senate Approves $1.1 Trillion Budget Bill

On Saturday, December 13, the US Senate approved a $1.1 trillion budget bill, ending the threat of government shutdown. According to Reuters, US Senators voted 56 in favor and 40 against the budget bill. It is reported that President Barack Obama is expected to sign the bill before Wednesday. Reuters added that discussions regarding the budget bill in the House of Representatives and Senate were overshadowed by the topic of Obama's executive order on immigration. Meanwhile, the House of Representatives approved the bill on Friday. The approval of the 2015 budget allows Barack Obama to pay government employees' salaries without shutting down government agencies until the end of September next year, which is the end of the fiscal year. Members of the far-right Republican faction known as the 'Tea Party' claim that very few illegal immigrants will be deported under the proposed budget. The liberal Democrats also view some provisions included in the 1,760-page budget bill as a green light for banks and large financial institutions to repeat the financial crisis of six years ago. Barack Obama and his Vice President Joe Biden have recently tried to persuade some dissenting Democrats in Congress to approve the bill to prevent government shutdown during the Christmas holidays. After the Christmas and New Year holidays and the reopening of Congress, Republicans will hold the majority of seats in the House and Senate and hope to change some of Obama's financial policies in the remaining two years of his presidency. The disagreement between the US Congress and the government over the budget last year led to the shutdown of several government agencies.