House passes $1.4 trillion spending bill

UPDATE: The House and its Democratic majority voted Tuesday afternoon to pass a $1.4 trillion budget. A measure funding domestic programs passed 297-120, but a second bill funding the military and the Department of Homeland Security passed by a 280-138 vote, with one-third of House Democrats voting no, mostly because the measure funded President Donald Trump’s wall at the U.S. southern border. The White House said Tuesday that the president will approve the budget.

OUR EARLIER REPORT (11:54 a.m.): WASHINGTON—The $1.4 trillion budget scheduled for a Tuesday House vote will raise government funding by $49 billion from 2019 spending levels. The bipartisan legislation to fund the government through September 2020 designates $738 billion for the military and $632 billion for the departments of Education, Housing and Urban Development, Health and Human Services, and others.

Are there significant changes from the last budget? The bill permanently repeals three taxes that generated about $40 billion a year to pay for the Affordable Care Act: the “Cadillac tax” on high-cost employer plans, a 2.3 percent tax on medical devices, and a health insurance fee. It raises the tobacco-buying age from 18 to 21, a change that also applies to e-cigarettes and vaping devices. The bill also extends flood insurance and gives $25 million toward research into gun violence, as well as millions for boosting election security. The deal maintains the agreed-upon $1.375 billion for the border wall, as well as current pro-life policies such as not funding abortion abroad.

Dig deeper: Read about the White House’s ongoing battle over border wall funding.