Under a Wednesday deadline to pass a bill funding the U.S. government, President Barack Obama's administration gained ground after reassuring some senators that proposals to ease restrictions on trade and travel to Cuba would have only marginal impact, Reuters reported. Democratic Senator Robert Menendez, who had opposed the spending measure because of the Cuba provisions, told reporters he would now vote for the bill "because of the correspondence and clarifications I received from the Treasury secretary." A second senator, Florida's Bill Nelson, also said he had decided to support the measure. With their backing, Obama's Democrats appear to have cleared an important milestone and party leaders now hope to pass the $410 billion spending bill later Today.
