Senate fends off government shutdown with temporary funding bill
The bill will be sent to President Trump's desk
The Senate approved a stopgap funding measure on Wednesday that will fund the government through the November election.
The short-term bill, which passed the chamber by a margin of 84-10, will maintain current funding levels through Dec. 11.
In order to go into effect, the measure requires President Trump's signature.
The bipartisan bill includes some key priorities for both Republicans and Democrats, including funding for the Commodity Credit Corp., which was established in 1933 as a federal corporation within the Dept. of Agriculture, to support and protect farm income and prices, as well as nearly $8 billion for nutrition assistance programs.
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Unless a full-year spending agreement is agreed upon before the December deadline, lawmakers may face a renewed government shutdown threat before the start of a new Congress. The Constitution mandates that a new Congress convene at noon on January 3 of the new year, unless the preceding Congress by law designated a different day.
Agreement on a temporary funding bill comes amid partisan division on a number of other key issues, including another round of federal coronavirus relief, as well as Trump’s nominee to fill the vacant seat on the U.S. Supreme Court.
Democratic leaders on Wednesday delayed voting on a $2.2 trillion coronavirus aid bill, as confirmed cases begin to rise in some states.