WASHINGTON (AP) ? The Senate has rejected a House Republican bill to cut spending and require a balanced-budget amendment.
The vote Friday was 51-46. The tea party-backed measure had been widely expected to fail in the Democratic-controlled Senate.
The focus was on efforts by President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner to come up with an ambitious $4 trillion grand bargain that would secure the support of rank-and-file lawmakers. But wide differences still remain.
Washington is less than two weeks away from an Aug. 2 deadline that could precipitate a first-ever government default.