White House swings behind huge $1.1T spending bill

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama swung behind a $1.1 trillion governmentwide spending bill Thursday, giving it critical momentum as it headed toward likely passage later in the afternoon, despite opposition from tea party Republicans over immigration and Democrats angry over last-minute changes to bank regulations and looser rules on campaign spending.<br /> <br /> The legislation narrowly cleared a procedural hurdle by a 214-212 vote.<br /> <br /> The White House put out a statement endorsing the measure. Press Secretary Josh Earnest said "it is a compromise and it does fulfill some of the many of the top line priorities that the president himself has long identified."<br /> <br /> With lawmakers facing a midnight Thursday deadline to prevent a government shutdown, Congress was also expected to pass a measure to keep the government running for two days. The aim is to approve the longer-term bill before adjourning Friday, though that could slip into the weekend.<br /> <br /> Democrats, whose votes GOP leaders need to adopt the bill, were furious over provisions that weaken regulations on risky financial instruments called swaps and another that allows wealthy donors to flood political parties with campaign cash.<br /> <br /> The White House's moves give Democrats cover to vote for the bill.<br /> <br /> Before the White House weighed in, Democratic support was rapidly shrinking.