Final vote nears on Pentagon bill, automaker aid

Senators removed a key obstacle Saturday to passage of a spending bill that combines help for Gulf Coast disaster victims and loans for automakers with record spending for the Pentagon.

The $630 billion-plus measure would end a quarter-century ban on oil drilling off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, handing Republicans an important victory.

The legislation also would provide money to keep the government running past the current budget year, which ends Tuesday, and keep domestic agencies at current levels until March, effectively punting their budgets to the next president and Congress.

An 83-12 vote on a procedural motion set a final vote for …