The spending plan was approved by a 51-44 vote that set a new Senate record — at 44 votes, the budget and its amendments brought more roll call votes in a single day than all of 2008 so far. IT fell overwhelmingly but not completely along party lines, with Democrats in favor and Republicans opposed.

Following the budget vote, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) adjourned the chamber until Tuesday, April 1.

Four senators missed the vote — Democrat Robert Byrd of West Virginia and Republicans Kit Bond of Missouri, Pete Domenici of New Mexico and John McCain of Arizona, although McCain did attend amendment votes earlier in the day.

The handful of exceptions to the party-line vote were Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.), who crossed over to side with Republicans, while Maine Republicans Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe voted with Democrats. Republican Ted Stevens of Alaska also announced he was pairing with the ailing Byrd to cancel each other’s vote.

“Overall it’s well-balanced and well-structured, with some critical social issues I wanted addressed,” Snowe said of the budget, specifically citing funding for the Low-Income Heating Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds and Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) provisions.

Earlier, on a 71-29 vote, senators defeated an earmarks moratorium proposed by Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) that was a focal point of the Senate all week. The proposal would have implemented a one-year “time-out” from congressional earmarks, with proponents arguing the process had become excessive and corrupt and opponents stating Congress has a constitutional duty to direct federal spending.

"I encourage all of my colleagues to vote against the status quo," DeMint said ahead of the vote.

But Democrats raised a point of germaneness to the budget, prompting a 60-vote requirement for the idea. In the end, the proposal didn’t come close to passage.

“Never in the history of the budget has an amendment been hyped so much but fail so miserably,” a senior Democratic aide said of the vote.

The final budget vote capped a day of around-the-clock voting on amendments, with each party trying to push the other into difficult votes that will be tough to explain on campaign trails this fall.

"It's the design of the day,” said Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) “There are a lot of 'gotcha' votes out there."

The feelings were just as pointed on the other side of the aisle, where Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) called the votes “a political consultant’s dream.”

"A lot of these votes are designed to create 30-second commercials rather than make public policy,” Graham said. “That's true on both sides.”

It was also a day heavy with presidential politics, with Democrats Hillary Clinton (N.Y.) and Barack Obama (Ill.) and McCain attending the voting. Obama held a series of meetings in Democratic Whip Dick Durbin’s office — Durbin is Obama’s Illinois Senate colleague and a national campaign co-chairman — while Clinton shuttled back and forth to the Senate floor from a lower-floor room. The two Democrats largely appeared to avoid each other in the hallways and on the Senate floor, and McCain largely stuck to his GOP colleagues in the chamber as well.

The final vote also concluded a week in which Democrats used a series of press conferences to spotlight budget features such as initiatives to spur the housing market, invest in infrastructure and boost spending on veterans health care.

But Republicans complained all week that the Democratic-written budget contains $1.2 trillion worth of tax increases, including some that would affect Americans making only $32,000 a year.

"In other words, police officers, teachers, and fireman across the country better hang on to their wallets — Democrats think you’re rich and don’t pay enough taxes," said Don Stewart, spokesman for Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.).