US Senate clears short-term funding bill to prevent shutdown before midterms

The Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed its own short-term funding measure last month. The two chambers will have to resolve their differences before President Donald Trump can sign it into law.

In Short

• US Senate passes temporary funding valid till December 11 this year
• Move aimed at preventing federal shutdown ahead of midterm polls
• House of Representatives passed its own version of the measure last month

The Republican-led US Senate passed a temporary measure to fund federal agencies through December 11 on Saturday, in a move intended to avert a crippling federal government shutdown weeks before the November midterm elections.

The Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed its own short-term funding measure last month. The two chambers will have to resolve their differences before President Donald Trump can sign it into law before current funding expires on September 30 — less than five weeks before the November 3 congressional elections.

Democrats said the Senate version, in contrast to the House version, would prevent the Trump administration from reallocating funding to border security from other programmes. It also includes language to allow funding adjustments for housing and food assistance programmes.

The Senate measure would also temporarily block the White House budget office from implementing a new rule giving political appointees control over hundreds of billions of dollars in grant money.

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