Preparing for possibility of shutdown, Senate clears intel appropriations bill

In promoting the bill on Wednesday, Feinstein linked the intelligence agency’s work with the U.S. military’s success in the wars.

“This bill funds the intelligence community’s global counterterrorism efforts that have disrupted plots and led to successful operations against al Qaeda—including the mission that located and killed Osama bin Laden,” said Feinstein in a statement. 

Passage on Wednesday night marked the third such intelligence funding bill that has cleared by the Senate in the last 15 months. 

Before adjourning the upper chamber Reid also made procedural preparations for a cloture vote to occur on Thursday on the confirmation of Morgan Christen of Alaska to serve on the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals. The Senate will return at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday.