Last night, in a 57-35 vote, the Senate passed the appropriations omnibus bill, coming one step closer to finishing the FY 2010 appropriations process. The Senate's vote means that all but one of the appropriation bills are done, which is good, since FY 2010 started a couple months ago. The one slight problem is that the last bill to go is the Defense bill, and it's shaping up to be a doozy. With the end of the continuing resolution fast approaching, Senate leadership is reportedly considering combining the Defense appropriations bill with a larger FY 2010 spending package, filled with a huge grab bag of legislative Christmas cheer. Among other provisions that Senate Democrats are considering lumping onto the Defense bill include estate tax reform, extending unemployment insurance and COBRA, raising the debt ceiling, and enacting PAYGO. Senate leadership is hoping it can kill about a dozen birds with one "no, seriously, we have to pass this bill ASAP" stone, although it's unclear how popular the package is among senators.

Check out the CongressDaily ($) article for the full rundown of the legislative maneuvering behind the Defense bill, the last of the appropriations bills.