The U.S. Senate has approved a one-week extension of federal government funding, temporarily averting a shutdown in Washington, D.C. that was to start on December 17.
The spending legislation, which passed a vote in the Senate 71 to 19, gives lawmakers an additional week to negotiate and pass a comprehensive bill to fund U.S. federal agencies through the fiscal year that ends on September 30, 2023.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a similar funding extension on December 14 by a vote of 224 to 201, with nine Republicans crossing party lines to support that legislation.
The Senate was under political pressure to pass the funding bill without delay ahead of the upcoming holidays when the U.S. Congress is shutdown.
The funding legislation is being negotiated in the shadow of a huge omnibus spending bill that would fund all U.S. federal agencies through the end of the current fiscal year.
Republican leaders have been saying that they will likely only support spending bills that fund the American government into January when they take majority control of the House of Representatives, which is the lower chamber of Congress.
The Democratic Party retained control of the U.S. Senate following mid-term congressional elections held this past November.
