Congress voting today on budget-cutting plan

WASHINGTON (AP) — In the run-up to a vote, Speaker John Boehner predicted today a $38 billion package of spending cuts would clear the House with a bipartisan majority and said it marks a first step in a longer Republican campaign to rein in federal deficits.

Boehner, R-Ohio, offered no estimate on how many members of the Republican rank and file would vote for the bill, but the Democratic leader, Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California, said members of her party would "help put it over the top."

The legislation is a product of negotiations involving Boehner, President Barack Obama and Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid.

The House set an early afternoon vote, and the Senate was standing by to complete work on the bill later in the day and send it to Obama for his signature.

Some Republicans have expressed concern since learning that the bill would cut less than $1 billion from this year's deficit, but Boehner said, "I expect this first step will pass the House."