The Senate approved a $2.9 trillion fiscal 2008 budget resolution this afternoon, 52-47. Maine GOP Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins joined the 50 Democrats voting to adopt the budget plan, which aims to balance by budget by 2012 and provides $18 billion more in domestic discretionary spending next year than President Bush's proposed budget. The resolution restores a pay-as-you-go point (PAYGO) of order against legislation that would cut taxes or increase mandatory spending without offsets. Yesterday, the House Budget Committee passed its own budget resolution -- in the main, a close replica of the Senate plan, but adding $25 billion in domestic discretionary spending more than the president's budget. The plan is expected to be debated and voted on by the full House next week. The vote was a victory for Senate leaders who viewed passing a budget as a key sign of Democrats' ability to govern. As Senate Budget Committee chair Kent Conrad (D-ND) said: I don't assert that this is a perfect budget. But at the end of the day, the test for us is, 'Can we write a budget for our country?'