US Congress approves deal to avert election-period government shutdown

The US Congress approved a deal Wednesday to avoid a government shutdown after lawmakers sent a stopgap funding deal to President Joe Biden’s desk that will keep the lights on through the US election.

The agreement – passed with cross-party support in both chambers – came ahead of a September 30 deadline to either approve a new government budget or begin shutting down federal agencies just five weeks ahead of Election Day.

The measure, which needed huge Democratic support in the Republican-led House of Representatives to overcome a rebellion by several dozen conservatives, keeps the government operational at current spending levels until December 20.

It was rubber-stamped by the Democratic-controlled Senate within hours, as lawmakers keen to get back to their districts to campaign for the November 5 election ratcheted up the usual glacial pace of legislating.