Spending Bill, Federal Budget | featured news

President Obama signed a spending bill Tuesday that headed off a government shutdown.

The legislation will finance the government for the first four days of October, until lawmakers return and can vote on a more ambitious seven-week spending bill.

The U.S. Senate on Sunday approved $447 billion in spending for several Cabinet departments and other agencies for the 2010 budget year -- money needed to fund the federal government after this week.

President Obama will propose $17 billion in spending cuts today, less than half of 1% of his budget, including cuts in weapons ...