House passes three big bills, departs today

The House on Wednesday passed three important bills, including a budget bill that could lead to Congress providing $12 billion in farm aid.

The budget bill passed “was approved in a 216-to-214 vote, with all but two Republicans in favor despite considerable concern in their ranks about its cost, its scope and voting to fund an unpopular war just months before the midterm elections,” The New York Times reported.

A second bill would limit stock trading by members of Congress and impose new restrictions on voting.

“The measure, which passed on a 232-to-198, mostly party-line vote, faces an uphill battle in the Senate, where members in both parties have been skeptical of legislation on both lawmakers’ stock trades and voting restrictions,” the Times said.

The third bill was the annual defense policy bill, known as the National Defense Authorization Act or NDAA.

“In a 216-212 vote, all but a half-dozen Democrats opposed the measure, many saying that they could not in good conscience back a bill that ultimately would empower [President] Trump to continue waging war against Iran without authorization or meaningful oversight by Congress,” the Times said.

The House is scheduled to meet at 9 a.m. today for legislative business, with a vote on the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act at 10:15 a.m.

The House is then expected to leave Washington until August 31, when it is scheduled to come back for one week before taking a Labor Day break.

-The Hagstrom Report