{"id":14598,"date":"2018-02-08T06:28:00","date_gmt":"2018-02-08T14:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/associatednews.info\/content\/senate-budget-deal-would-give-a-boost-to-health-programs\/"},"modified":"2018-02-08T06:28:00","modified_gmt":"2018-02-08T14:28:00","slug":"senate-budget-deal-would-give-a-boost-to-health-programs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/associatednews.info\/content\/senate-budget-deal-would-give-a-boost-to-health-programs\/","title":{"rendered":"Senate Budget Deal Would Give A Boost To Health Programs"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Julie Rovner<\/a><\/span> <\/p>\n

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\n “This bill represents a significant bipartisan step forward,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Wednesday.<\/p>\n

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Alex Wong\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

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Alex Wong\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

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In a rare show of congressional cooperation, Republican and Democratic leaders in the Senate announced a two-year budget deal Wednesday that would increase federal spending for defense as well as key domestic priorities, including many health programs.<\/p>\n

Not in the deal, for which the path to the president’s desk remains unclear, is any bipartisan legislation aimed at shoring up the Affordable Care Act’s individual health insurance marketplaces. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., promised Sen. Susan Collins<\/a>, R-Maine, a vote on health legislation in exchange for her vote for the GOP tax bill in December. So far, that vote hasn’t materialized.<\/p>\n

The deal does appear to include almost every other health priority Democrats have been pushing the past several months, including two years of renewed funding for community health centers and a series of other health programs<\/a> Congress failed to provide for before they technically expired last year.<\/p>\n

“I believe we have reached a budget deal that neither side loves but both sides can be proud of,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., on the Senate floor. “That’s compromise. That’s governing.”<\/p>\n