$1.1 trillion spending bill clears key Senate hurdle; filibuster likely to be broken Saturday

$1.1 trillion spending bill clears Senate hurdle

WASHINGTON — A massive year-end spending bill has cleared a key obstacle in the Senate.

By a 60-36 vote, the Senate has defeated a GOP procedural move that would have unraveled the $1.1 trillion measure. The bill bundles six spending bills into a more than 1,000-page behemoth.

The bill would finance 10 Cabinet-level agencies for the coming year and help fund the Medicare and Medicaid health care programs for the elderly and poor.

A vote to stop a Republican filibuster is scheduled for Saturday morning. Friday’s vote demonstrates that Democrats will have the 60 votes needed do so.