1st LD: U.S. House passes 1.3-trillion-USD spending bill

WASHINGTON, March 22 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. House of Representatives passed a 1.3-trillion-USD spending bill on Thursday that would fund federal agencies through September and avert a government shutdown.

In a 256-167 vote, the Republican-led chamber sent the compromise measure to the Senate, which must pass it before current funding expires late Friday night.

"The House just voted to rebuild our military, secure our borders, and give our service members their largest pay raise in eight years," House Speaker Paul Ryan said following the vote.

The legislation passed less than 24 hours after the 2,300-page bipartisan, omnibus bill was made public Wednesday.

The spending package allows big spending increases for defense and domestic programs, while adding money for infrastructure projects, veterans and measures to combat the opioid crisis.

It also provides 1.6 billion dollars - far short of what the Trump administration has sought - for border security measures, including construction of a border wall with Mexico.

But Mick Mulvaney, the director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, told reporters Thursday that the president will sign the bill if it reaches his desk.

He admitted that the bill wasn't perfect and wasn't exactly what the White House wanted, but that - on the whole - would fund the president's priorities. Enditem