The U.S. Senate has approved a bill to prevent a partial government shutdown, with less than 36 hours remaining before funds would have started to deplete. The bill received backing from the House of Representatives and now awaits President Joe Biden‘s signature.
What Happened: The bill, passed with a 77-13 bipartisan vote in the Senate, sets funding deadlines for different sections of the government – one part by March 8 and the other by March 22, Reuters reported.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) expressed relief on the Senate floor, stating “When we pass this bill, we will have, thank God, avoided a shutdown with all its harmful effects on the American people.”
Earlier, the bill was approved in the House with a 320-99 vote, where 207 Democrats joined 113 Republicans. The short-term stopgap measure provides Congress additional time to agree on funding for the full fiscal year that began on Oct. 1.