The 17-11 vote would give the current policy - which President Obama set by executive order days after taking office - the force of law. That means the next Republican president could not restore the ban with the stroke of a pen as has been recent practice.

The policy under President George W. Bush banned giving U.S. taxpayer money to international family-planning groups that either offer abortions or provide information, counseling, or referrals about abortion as a family-planning method.

Critics have long held that the rule unfairly discriminated against the world's poor by denying U.S. aid to groups that may be involved in abortion but that also work on other aspects of reproductive health care and HIV/AIDS.

Outnumbered Republicans said the move by panel Democrats would effectively subsidize overseas abortions and would guarantee a floor imbroglio that could imperil passage of the underlying bill.

Separately, the Senate wants to force the Homeland Security Department to stick with a proposed policy of the Bush administration's requiring that employers fire immigrant workers whose names don't match their Social Security numbers. By voice vote yesterday, senators approved an amendment to stop the department's plan to dump the policy.

Also yesterday, the Senate voted to allow Americans to buy lower-cost drugs from Canada over the Internet. The plan, approved 55-36, dealt a defeat to the drug lobby. It is unclear whether the idea will survive House-Senate talks.

The prescription-drug plan, approved by a voice vote, was added to the $42.9 billion bill funding the Homeland Security Department. The Senate then approved the homeland security measure by a 84-6 vote.

By a 318-106 vote, the House passed a $48.8 billion measure funding foreign aid and the State Department budget.

Earlier, the House passed a bill that would raise spending for food stamps by 14 percent, giving the program a boost as record numbers of people use the food assistance.