The U.S. Senate cleared and sent to President Barack Obama thefirst bipartisan budget produced by a divided Congress in 27 years,resolving (for now) spending issues that had helped spur agovernment shutdown in October.

The $1.01 trillion budget deal, which passed 64-36 today, eases$63 billion in automatic spending cuts, raises user fees, andlowers the U.S. deficit over 10 years. The plan keeps in placeabout half of the spending reductions known as sequestration fornext year and about three-quarters of the planned cuts for2015.

Neither party liked the cuts, which in January would havepinched Pentagon spending as well as domestic programs. Neitherparty could find a way to erase them all in this compromise, whichdoes little to address the nation's $17 trillion debt.