The stopgap budget bill is up first, with a procedural vote expected late Monday. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (Connecticut), the lead Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, said in a statement Sunday that the Senate bill marks “a clear improvement” over the House bill, which she and most House Democrats opposed. For the strategy to work, Senate Republicans would need near-unanimous support in their caucus. Senate Budget Committee Chair Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin) said the White House would need to directly request the additional funds for defense. The post Senate GOP rushes to pass budget bill, avoid shutdown ahead of midterms appeared first on Washington Post.