With just hours to spare, Congress has averted a partial U.S. government shutdown by passing a stopgap spending bill to keep federal agencies open past a midnight funding deadline.
The House of Representatives approved the measure 271-151. Earlier Wednesday, it cleared the Senate 78-20. The bill, which extends the government's spending authority until December 11, now goes to the White House for President Barack Obama's signature.
"The most important thing we can do is keep the government open for business and continue vital programs that all Americans rely on," said Republican Congressman Hal Rogers. "This legislation is the best path forward at this time, but we all know it is only a Band-Aid."
The two congressional votes averted a partial government shutdown, similiar to the standoff two years ago, that resulted in shuttered government offices for more than two weeks, in an ideological dispute over a federal health program.