U.S. Senate Passes Extension to Avoid Government Shutdown, US

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate has passed an extension of government funding through early March, paving the way for a House vote to avoid a potential shutdown. With just a day remaining before the deadline, the Senate voted 77-18 to fund the government until March 1 and March 8. The House is expected to vote on the extension later today, narrowly avoiding a shutdown that would begin on Saturday. This marks the third government funding extension approved by Congress this year. The previous extensions were met with political controversies and challenges within the Republican party. If the extension is approved by the House, Congress will finally begin drafting the spending legislation that was originally due at the end of September. House Speaker Mike Johnson has pledged to use this opportunity to fight for conservative policy priorities in the budget. However, Democrats have made it clear that they will not support any provisions that they consider to be poison pills. The raucous House Freedom Caucus, a group of right-wing members, made a last-minute attempt to derail the clean stopgap measure that they opposed from the start. Nevertheless, their efforts were shut down, and the measure is expected to proceed without any amendments. The extension allows more time for negotiations before finalizing the budget, providing an opportunity for both sides to work together and avoid a potential government shutdown.