Senate strikes bipartisan budget deal

The Senate struck a two-year budget deal Wednesday. The $400 billion proposal includes "whopping spending increases to both the Pentagon and domestic federal programs," The Associated Press reports. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) hailed the deal as a "significant bipartisan step forward" while Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) lauded it as "a genuine breakthrough."

The bill does not, however, include a path to citizenship for DREAMers, the undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children. The omission sets up a potential standoff between Schumer and his counterpart in the House, as House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has pledged to not support any funding bill that does not include protections for DREAMers. While the Senate was hashing out its bipartisan funding package Wednesday, Pelosi was filibustering on the House floor to demand a vote on immigration.

McConnell left open the possibility of a resolution for DREAMers through the amendment process, but there is no guarantee the House would pursue a similar avenue. If the spending bill does not pass both chambers of Congress, the government will shut down by the end of the week.

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