WASHINGTON — Battle-fatigued and suddenly bipartisan, the House voted Thursday night to ease across-the-board federal spending cuts and prevent future government shutdowns, acting after Speaker John Boehner unleashed a stinging attack on Tea Party-aligned conservative groups campaigning for the measure’s defeat.
The legislation, backed by the White House, cleared on a vote of 332-94, with lopsided majorities of Republicans and Democrats alike voting in favor. Final passage is expected next week in the Senate.
U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler voted on Thursday in favor of a bipartisan 2014 budget deal that would ease the across-the-board spending cuts, known as sequestration, that went into effect March 1.
The Camas Republican said in a statement Thursday that the budget agreement “maintains cost savings and cuts the federal deficit without new taxes.” She said it also returns Congress to a more routine and stable form of budgeting when compared to recent years.