The U.S. Senate on Thursday approved a measure funding the federal government through early March, in a bid to avoid a partial shutdown that would begin Saturday morning.
The bill now heads to the House of Representatives, where some Republicans are expected to oppose it — forcing Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to rely on Democrats to help pass it.
The bill would fund some departments — including Agriculture, Transportation and Energy — through March 1, while the rest of the government, including the Pentagon, would be funded through March 8. Those federal agencies are respectively funded through this Friday, Jan. 19, and Feb. 2, and shutdowns would ensue without stopgap spending.
The measure is intended to give lawmakers time to pass spending bills worth $1.66 trillion that would fund the government through the fall.
“The Senate will pass a clean extension of government funding to avert a needless shutdown and give appropriators more time to finish their work,” said Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) in a message on X before the vote.
Raj Shah, a spokesman for Johnson, said the House will vote “tonight” on the bill.
The Senate’s vote was 77-18.
From the archives (September 2023): What stock investors need to know about U.S. government shutdowns
