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WASHINGTON, Dec. 17-- The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a 1.4-trillion-U.S.-dollar spending package that will fund the government through the end of the fiscal year, as lawmakers in both chambers rush to avoid a government shutdown. The House approved the spending bills to keep the federal government open through Sept. 30, 2020, sending the legislation to the Senate. President Donald Trump has to sign it by this Friday, when current stopgap funding package expires. The spending package will maintain the U.S.-Mexico border wall funding at its current level of 1.375 billion dollars, far less than what the president demanded. It will also remove some taxes of the Affordable Care Act, which many Democrats regard as a major legislative achievement of former president Barack Obama. The bipartisan legislation will not only boost defense outlays, but also increase domestic spending. It includes provisions such as raising the age of tobacco purchases to 21 and providing funding for gun violence research, among others. Trump is "poised" to sign the appropriations bills when they reach his desk, White House advisor Kellyanne Conway told reporters earlier Tuesday. The budget deal between the president and Congress will add more than 400 billion dollars to the national debt over the next 10 years, according to Michael A. Peterson, chief executive officer of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing public awareness of the country's key fiscal challenges. | 
