Key facts
- Congress passed a short-term funding bill to avoid a government shutdown.
- The bill will fund federal agencies until November 17.
- Lawmakers are still negotiating a comprehensive spending package.
- The House and Senate both approved the measure.
- The President is expected to sign the bill into law.
The United States government has narrowly avoided a shutdown after Congress passed a temporary funding measure. The stopgap bill, approved by both the House of Representatives and the Senate, will extend government operations through November 17. This provides a crucial deadline for lawmakers to reach an agreement on a broader spending package for the fiscal year. Without this measure, federal agencies would have been forced to cease non-essential operations, impacting services and employees nationwide. Negotiations over the long-term budget are expected to be contentious, with disagreements persisting on spending levels and policy priorities.