Senate Votes to Avert Shutdown

Down, again, to hours before money to run the federal government would run out, the Senate passed a bill to keep the machinery humming for another three weeks. The 65-27 vote sent the measure, which the House endorsed last week, to President Biden for his signature, CNBC reports. In the interim, lawmakers plan to work on wrapping up work on a dozen bills that would fund agencies and departments till Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year, per the New York Times.

Congress has done something similar several times since September, approving short-term funding to keep government open without reaching a broad agreement. "Agencies need certainty, the businesses that rely on government for contracts need certainty, and our men and women who are serving in the military need certainty," said Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen. Such stopgap legislation maintains funding levels from the previous fiscal year, as well as spending priorities, per the Wall Street Journal. That means agencies can't use money for new programs or fill those jobs. (More government shutdown stories.)