U.S. Senate backs stop-gap bill to avert government shutdown
The U.S. Senate on Thursday approved a bill to fund the federal government through Jan. 19 and avert agency shutdowns as a Friday midnight deadline neared.
By a vote of 66-32, the Senate approved the money to keep most agencies funded at current levels, giving Republicans and Democrats in Congress more time to negotiate a bigger fiscal 2018 spending bill that would run through next Sept. 30.
The bill now goes to President Donald Trump for signing into law.