By David Morgan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives passed a fiscal 2024 appropriations bill for military construction and veterans affairs on Thursday, the first of 12 spending measures that Congress must enact by Oct. 1 or risk a government shutdown.
The House voted 219-211 to approve the $155.7 billion military construction and veterans affairs bill, forwarding it on to the Democratic-led Senate where it is unlikely to succeed.
Its passage, however, could be a false dawn for Republican hopes of a smooth appropriations path ahead. House Republican leaders chose to delay consideration of a second spending bill on agriculture, rural development and the Food and Drug Administration until September, amid party infighting over spending between hardline conservatives and moderates.
House passage of appropriations legislation represents only a first step toward funding the government from Oct. 1. House and Senate lawmakers must each pass their own bills and then hammer out compromises before legislation can be signed into law by Democratic President Joe Biden.
As lawmakers headed into a lengthy August recess, the two chambers appeared to be at least $120 billion apart on spending.
(Reporting by David Morgan; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Marguerita Choy)
