WASHINGTON -- The disaster-aid debate of 2011 appears settled -- for now.
The Senate voted 79-12 to pass a federal spending bill that would keep the government operating past Sept. 30, when this fiscal year ends, and steer $2.6 billion into the Federal Emergency Management Agency's disaster relief reserve fund.
That's less than the $6.9 billion the Senate approved giving FEMA earlier this month and $3.6 billion that the House OK'd.
The Senate bill, which now heads to the House, also doesn't seek an "offset" that two House spending measures called for last week -- cutting $1.6 billion from a federal loan program designed to help automakers produce more fuel-efficient cars.
Dropping the offset is a sweetener for House Democrats, who are likely to vote for the Senate bill. Virtually all Democrats voted against two previous spending bills, calling the offset unnecessary and misguided.
But dropping the offset is a turnoff for tea party Republicans, who want steep spending cuts as part of a broader plan to fix the nation's fiscal problems. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia was the strongest champion of offsets to disaster aid.
Even if the conservative wing rejects the Senate bill, House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, is likely to have enough support from GOP moderates and Democrats to get the measure passed before the end of this fiscal year.
Congressional approval would avert a government shutdown and ensure that FEMA has continued access to funds in the early part of the 2012 fiscal year to help New Jersey recover from Hurricane Irene, Tropical Storm Lee and prior floods this year.
