The Senate on Thursday approved a short-term spending bill to keep the federal government running through early December, sending the measure to the House with just hours remaining before a partial shutdown.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, announced a deal with Republicans on Wednesday night to vote on a stopgap measure that also includes funding for natural disaster relief and aid to Afghan refugees. The bill cleared the Senate on a vote of 65 to 35.
The bill would fund the government through Dec. 3. Without the so-called continuing resolution, the government would partially shut down after midnight. Past shutdowns have resulted in the furloughs of hundreds of thousands of federal workers; delayed tax refunds; and the closures of national parks and monuments.
Read: Here’s what would happen if Washington doesn’t prevent a government shutdown
And see: Will I get my Social Security check if the government shuts down? Here’s how a shutdown would affect Social Security, tax refunds and federal paychecks
The bill leaves aside the issue of raising the U.S. debt limit, which Republicans say Democrats must do on their own. GOP senators earlier blocked a separate House-passed bill to prevent a shutdown and raise the federal borrowing limit. That put pressure on Democrats to deliver a measure that would only address a shutdown.
Now see: What happens if the U.S. defaults on its debt?
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the House would pass a stopgap funding bill preventing a shutdown.
“A little bit later this morning, the Senate will be voting on a continuing resolution which they will send back to the House, which we will pass and send on to the president to keep government open. We hope that this can be a strongly bipartisan bill because it keeps vital services running, protects up to hundreds of thousands of workers from furloughs, and protects the economy from shutdown,” the California Democrat told reporters at a briefing.
The bill keeps government funding at current levels and also contains $28.6 billion for disaster assistance and $6.3 billion for Afghan refugees.
Meanwhile, the outcome of a planned House vote on a $1 trillion infrastructure bill was less clear Thursday, as progressive Democrats were threatening to oppose it.
Now read: Pelosi says she still plans for House to vote on infrastructure bill as negotiations continue
Losses in U.S. stocks accelerated midday Thursday, with the Dow
DJIA,
-0.98%
industrials down more than 400 points and S&P 500
SPX,
-0.47%
index under pressure. Wall Street is aiming to wrap up the last trading day of a volatile September and the final session of the third quarter.
