CNN Political Unit

(CNN) – Two hours after their midnight deadline, the Senate overwhelmingly passed a last-minute deal Tuesday to avert the feared fiscal cliff on a 89-8 vote.

The Senate package (PDF) would put off budget cuts for two months and preserve Bush-era income tax cuts for individuals earning less than $400,000 or couples earning less than $450,000. For a timeline of yesterday’s action, click here.

The measure now goes to the House where it faces an uncertain future in the Republican-controlled body. Check back on this page for the latest updates throughout the day.

3:36 p.m. ET – Another potential wrinkle to the fiscal cliff battle: the new Congress will be sworn in on Thursday. Any legislation passed by one chamber and not the other will have to be re-voted upon by the House and the Senate when the new session begins.

3:34 p.m. ET – LaTourette predicts that some kind of measure will be voted upon Tuesday in the House.

3:31 p.m. ET – Rep. Steve LaTourette, R-Ohio, says it’s ridiculous for the House to vote on a bill passed by “sleep deprived octogenarians.” (He’s talking about senators who voted on the bill early this morning).

3:23 p.m. ET – Brendan Buck, a spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner, issued this statement following a meeting of the House GOP conference:

“The Speaker and Leader laid out options to the members and listened to feedback. The lack of spending cuts in the Senate bill was a universal concern amongst members in today’s meeting. Conversations with members will continue throughout the afternoon on the path forward.”

3:16 p.m. ET – If Republicans amend the Senate-passed bill to include spending cuts – and vote to pass it – the measure would then head back to the Senate for another vote in the upper chamber.

3:09 p.m. ET – CNN’s Deirdre Walsh reports from Capitol Hill that House Majority Leader Eric Cantor opposes the fiscal cliff measure passed by the Senate. “I do not support the bill,” Cantor told reporters as he was leaving a meeting of the GOP conference. He said no decisions have been made, and that he’s looking for the best path forward.

3:11 p.m. ET – If the House holds an up-or-down vote, will Democrats get enough votes? Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer says he doesn’t have a number but believes they “will have a bipartisan vote.” Neither he nor Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi would say whether they were conferring with Republicans about which GOP members would support the bill, as they said their own members were still considering the proposal.

“Our members are taking a look at the bill,” said Democratic Rep. Chris Van Hollen, the top Democrat on the Budget Committee. “We would just ask our Republican colleagues to bear in mind the good of the country as they weigh the equities.”

3:08 p.m. ET – As House Democratic leaders speak to cameras, GOP members are leaving their conference meeting

Full article with updates in real time can be found here: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/01/01/latest-updates-house-readies-for-fiscal-cliff-vote/?hpt=po_c1

Categories: BREAKING NEWS, POLITICAL/GOVERNMENT

Tags: Congress and the Fiscal cliff, Fiscal cliff, House vote, Senate vote, Spending, Taxes