A must-pass bill covering about one-sixth of the federal budget swept through the House on Wednesday. A sizable chunk of Republicans joined virtually all Democrats in approving spending increases for education, veterans and the AIDS battle in Africa.

The 286-140 vote � with 57 Republicans voting in favor � was a pleasant surprise for Democrats who expected far less GOP support. The $463.5 billion spending bill had much to please the rank and file, including Republican moderates, even though it contained no pet projects for their districts�

�Living within last year’s budget cap set by Bush � before Democrats won control of Capitol Hill in the November elections � meant they could not be as generous as they would have liked.

Democrats, nonetheless, provided increases for underperforming schools, health research, and grants to state and local law enforcement agencies. They were especially pleased with a $260 boost, to $4,310, in the maximum Pell Grant for low-income college students, and with a 40 percent increase, to $4.5 billion, for fighting AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis overseas.

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