A landmark spending bill—putting the brakes on years of steady growth in domestic appropriations—cleared the House Thursday, but not before Republicans had to reach out to Democrats to save them from defeat because of defections on the right.

The 260-167 high stakes vote posed a first test of whether this Congress can find some middle ground from which to address still more difficult budget issues…

Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) stepped forward to support the package together with old Democratic allies on the House Appropriations Committee. Across the aisle, Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio)—who bore the brunt of the dissent as fellow leaders stood silently by— bluntly told his colleagues: “This is the best we could get out of divided government.”