WASHINGTON, Sept. 23- The House approved today a new version a continuing resolution to keep the government operating after Oct. 1. The bill gained twenty four more Republican approvals from Wednesday’s version with a 219 to 203 vote.
The new version plays toward the House majority by rescinding $100 million from an Energy Department program that guaranteed a loan for Solyndra, the solar equipment manufacturer that recently filed for bankruptcy.
Democrats opposed bill because it partially offsets $3.65 billion in funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency with a $1.5 billion cut to the Department of Energy manufacturing loan program.
A defiant 48 House Republicans voted against the original bill on Wednesday, saying they wanted deeper cuts in overall spending. The bill failed by a vote of 195-230.
Congress must pass a stopgap spending bill by Sept. 30 to avert a government shutdown and the House and Senate are scheduled to be on recess next week. Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) may hope to push the revised bill through the Senate with a tightening deadline, but Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Senate Democrats vow to reject it.
The Senate last week approved a bill that includes $6.9 billion of disaster assistance, nearly twice as much as the House bill.
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