Senate rejects Trump plan to claw back spending

The Senate on Wednesday narrowly rejected President Trump's plan to claw back roughly $15 billion in spending approved by Congress earlier this year. In a 48-50 vote, senators failed to discharge the measure from committee. A majority vote was needed. GOP Sens. Richard Burr (N.C.) and Susan Collins (Maine) joined 48 members of the Democratic caucus in voting against bringing up the bill. "My belief ... is that it's the job of Congress to comb through these accounts and that's what we do on the appropriations committee," Collins said. A Burr aide said the North Carolina senator voted "no" on moving forward with the package because he couldn't get a promise that his amendment addressing cuts to the Land and Water Conservation Fund would receive a vote. The vote is a blow to conservatives and the White House, who pushed the package in response to backlash from the GOP base over a mammoth rescissions package passed in March...MORE