Sequestration--which, when it was envisioned in 2011, never was supposed to happen--happened.

But it looks like it won’t be happening again.

The House overwhelmingly approved a bipartisan budget plan that restores some of sequestration’s scheduled cutbacks for fiscal 2014 and 2015.

At presstime, the Senate had passed a key cloture vote allowing debate to proceed on the budget deal, which showed brighter prospects for passage.

The House measure won broad support, with a 333-94 vote, putting an end, at least temporarily, to the intense partisan brinksmanship of the last four years. Only 62 Republicans and 32 Democrats voted against it.

The budget deal put together by Rep. Paul Ryan, R-WI, and Sen. Patty Murray, D-WA, would avoid another government shutdown and restore roughly half of the spending previously cut by sequester.

The package sets the federal budget at $1.012 trillion for fiscal 2014, with $63 billion in sequester relief for fiscal 2014 and 2015, split evenly between defense and non-defense budgets, according to the National Journal. There is a net deficit reduction of $23 billion over 10 years, obtained through new productivity savings and fees.

It provides $45 billion in sequester relief in 2014 and $18 billion in sequester relief in 2015, split evenly between defense and non-defense discretionary accounts, according to Federal Times.

Of those totals, defense would receive $22 billion in sequester relief in 2014 and $9 billion in 2015.

More information: National Journal article: http://goo.gl/vLx3iy
Federal Times article: http://goo.gl/5nelr6