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Senate approves bill that would raise legal smoking age from 18 to 21

The $1.4 trillion package boosts spending for the military, scraps key taxes to fund the Affordable Care Act and raises the age to buy tobacco products to 21.

WASHINGTON — The Senate has passed a $1.4 trillion government spending package in what amounted to a last, bipartisan burst of legislating before the end-of-the-year holidays. 

Senators cleared the two-bill package in a set of votes on Thursday and sent it to President Donald Trump in time to forestall a possible government shutdown this weekend. The White House says Trump will sign it before Friday's midnight deadline. 

The legislation gives Trump a victory on his U.S.-Mexico border fence but also gives Democrats long-sought domestic spending increases and a repeal of Obama-era taxes on high-cost health insurance plans.

The first bill in the two-bill package, covering domestic programs, passed easily with a 71-23 vote. 

Credit: AP
FILE: In this Sept. 10, 2019, photo, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., arrives for a news conference (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

The package boosts spending for the military, scraps key taxes to fund the Affordable Care Act and raises the age to buy tobacco to 21, according to CNBC

RELATED: House passes $1.4 trillion federal spending bill

RELATED: New bill would raise tobacco purchasing age to 21

ABC News reported that Democrats also got $425 million for states to upgrade election systems and boosted the U.S. Census budget $1.4 billion above Trump's request. 

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