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A government shutdown has been averted after the U.S. Senate passed a stopgap bill to keep the government funded into next year. The two-tier bill will fund several government agencies until January 19, while the rest of the government will be funded through February 19.
The bill easily passed the House with the support of Democrats despite objections from the House Freedom Caucus.
The continuing resolution will keep the government funded at current levels.
The Senate tried to pass the bill by unanimous consent, but Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky objected. He agreed to consent if the Senate voted on an alternative funding bill that included spending cuts.
NBC News reported that passage of the bill was further delayed after Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker, who serves as the top Republican on the Armed Services Committee, demanded Senate Majority Leader Chuch Schumer set a date for the Senate to hold a vote on the National Defense Authorization Act.
Rand Paul's bill was defeated by a vote of 32-65.
The stopgap continuing resolution will give Republicans and Democrats more time to hammer out an agreement on 12 appropriation bills to fund the government.
The bill now heads to the desk of President Joe Biden for his signature.