US budget deal clears Senate vote

A US bipartisan budget deal cleared Tuesday a procedural hurdle in the Senate, with high expectation that it will be passed this week, then to be sent to President Barack Obama to be signed into law. Senators voted 67 to 33 for the two-year deal that would help prevent another government shutdown. Twelve Republicans joined 53 Democrats and two independents in supporting the measure. The budget plan easily passed the House of Representatives last week with a 332-94 vote. The budget deal will ease sequester cuts via allowing budgets of government agencies and discretionary programs to rise by USD 63 billion over two years in exchange for future savings elsewhere.