Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/congress-moves-on-final-legislation-before-adjourning Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Transcript The NewsHour's Congressional Correspondent Kwame Holman provides a report on what Congress will accomplish before they adjourn to campaign, as well as what issues may be put on hold. Read the Full Transcript Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors. KWAME HOLMAN: The Senate got off to a promising start this morning, taking care of the easy business first.SEN. TED STEVENS (R), Alaska: I ask for the yeas and nays. KWAME HOLMAN: It gave unanimous approval to a $448 billion defense spending bill that includes $70 billion more for continued military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. SEN. TED STEVENS: This is the largest bill we've ever provided for the Department of Defense. KWAME HOLMAN: But the defense and homeland security bills are the only spending bills the Senate has completed work on this year. Ten others had to be wrapped into a continuing resolution, which funds government agencies at current levels until Congress can act on each bill individually. That drew a scolding from West Virginia's Robert Byrd, senior Democrat on the Appropriations Committee. Virginia: SEN. ROBERT BYRD (D), West When it comes to the education of our children, when it comes to the health of the elderly, when it comes to the ability of our deteriorating infrastructure to sustain a growing economy, and the fiscal health of our farms, the majority of the leadership wants no debate. No debate. No debate.