The US House of Representatives approved earlier on Thursday a bill to avoid a US government shutdown, which was set to begin at midnight on Friday evening without additional funding. The measure now heads to US President Joe Biden who will sign it into law and avert the crisis.
The US Senate joined the House of Representatives late Thursday in passing a continuing resolution to fund the government for the next 11 weeks. The measure cleared the congressional chamber with a vote of 69 to 28.
Among the 19 Republicans to join Democrats in the funding passage are Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC).
Once signed into law by US President Joe Biden, the bill will provide the government with spending through February 18, 2022. Similarly, the previous spending bill, which expires on December 3, was only passed on September 30.
