Congress is cleaning up its unfinished budget business for the long-underway 2013 budget year with a government-wide funding bill, even as the combatants in the House and Senate gear up for votes this week on largely symbolic measures outlining stark differences between Democrats and Republicans about how to fix the nation's long-term deficit woes.
The Senate is positioned to approve the spending bill Tuesday after it cleared a procedural hurdle Monday by a strong 63-35 vote. The House, which approved a narrower version two weeks ago, is expected to quickly clear the measure and ship it to President Barack Obama for his signature.
On a separate track, the GOP-controlled House and Democratic Senate are gearing up for votes this week on sharply different budget blueprints for next year and beyond.
