WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congress is one step closer to avoiding another government shutdown that is scheduled to occur later this week.

The U.S. House Tuesday approved a $1.4 trillion spending plan for fiscal year 2020. This comes ahead of a Friday deadline to fund the federal government. The package includes $1.3 billion in funding for President Donald Trump’s border wall – much less than the $8.6 billion the administration requested.

It also includes the repeal of the “Cadillac Tax” in the Affordable Care Act, an effort led by U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.); and pay raises for the military, something our local lawmakers are applauding.

“We have to fund our military at the right level,” said Kelly. “The number one responsibility of the federal government is protecting the United States.”

“We did step up our spending,” said Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.), who expressed concern about the rising national debt and budget deficit. “But it was specifically in the area of our national defense. It was long overdue.”

The Senate is expected to approve the budget on Thursday, ending a months-long stalemate between top Congressional Republicans and Democrats. Lawmakers previously approved two short-term spending deals, one in September and another in November.

There is a slew of other provisions and new laws in the budget, which is more than 2,000 pages long. That includes legislation that could establish paid paternal leave for federal employees, and raising the federal smoking age to 21.