US Senate passes short-term funding bill to avert federal shutdown before election

The Republican-led US Senate has approved a temporary funding bill to avoid a government shutdown as the nation prepares for the upcoming midterm elections. The measure, enacted on Saturday, extends funding to federal agencies until December 11. This comes after the Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed a similar bill last month.

The two branches of Congress must now reconcile any differences before President Donald Trump can sign the legislation before the existing funding expires on September 30, which is less than five weeks before the November 3 election.

Democrats expressed concern that the Senate version of the bill, unlike the House version, would prevent the Trump administration from diverting funds from other programs to bolster border security. Additionally, the Senate bill includes provisions to permit adjustments to funding levels for housing and food assistance programs.

Furthermore, the Senate measure seeks to temporarily prohibit the White House budget office from enacting a new rule that would grant political appointees authority over hundreds of billions of dollars in grant money.