WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate on Saturday passed a stopgap spending bill that would keep the federal government funded through Dec. 11, moving lawmakers closer to averting a shutdown at the end of the fiscal year.
The measure passed 90-6 in a bipartisan vote and generally maintains current funding levels after Sept. 30, when existing appropriations expire. The bill includes several negotiated exceptions to current funding arrangements.
The legislation now goes to the House of Representatives, which is expected to consider it after lawmakers return from their August recess. The House previously approved a separate stopgap measure that would fund the government through Dec. 4, meaning the two chambers must resolve differences before the measure can become law.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune had pushed to complete the funding measure before senators left Washington for their recess. The vote came nearly two months before the Sept. 30 funding deadline, an unusually early effort to prevent a shutdown during the November midterm election campaign.
The Senate bill also contains provisions sought by Democrats restricting transfers of funds to the Border Patrol and temporarily blocking implementation of a proposed White House rule concerning federal grant decisions.
The Senate passage does not by itself avert a shutdown. The House must approve the legislation, and President Donald Trump must sign it into law before current funding expires.
