Here's How Long Spending Bill Staves Off Shutdown This Time

Congress passes bill to fund government through Jan. 19
By Michael Harthorne,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 21, 2017 5:59 PM CST
House Passes Spending Bill to Avoid Government Shutdown
Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Hispanic Caucus Chair Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham, D-N.M., appear before the House Rules Committee on Thursday to appeal to add protections for Dreamers to the government funding bill.   (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Congress is getting closer to delaying a government shutdown for a few more weeks—yet again—after passing a temporary spending bill on Thursday, the Los Angeles Times reports. According to the AP, the bill passed the House by a 231-188 vote and the Senate by a 66-32 vote with Democrats in red states siding with Republicans. Congress had until midnight Friday to avoid a government shutdown. The new spending bill funds the federal government through Jan. 19, CNBC reports.

It's safe to say neither Democratic nor Republican lawmakers are happy with the bill they just passed. Republicans were arguing about it right up until it passed, and Nancy Pelosi urged Democrats to vote against it as it didn't include a permanent fix for Dreamers, CNN reports. The bill did include $2.85 billion to fund the Children's Health Insurance Program—which provides insurance to nearly 9 million children—for another three months. It also includes $4.7 billion for the Department of Defense for ship repair and missile defense programs and extends the NSA's ability to legally spy on emails for another three weeks. (More government shutdown stories.)

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