WASHINGTON - The Republican-held Senate passed a temporary government-wide spending bill that would keep federal agencies up and running through Dec. 20 and avert a government shutdown after midnight Thursday. The spending bill, passed by a 74-20 vote, would keep federal the government open for another month in hopes the additional time will help negotiators wrap up more than $1.4 trillion in unfinished appropriations bills. Talks on the broader full-year appropriations measures have hit a rough patch after the administration rejected bipartisan entreaties to add about $5 billion to grease their path. Negotiations on the full-year measure also could be buffeted by the toxic atmosphere that’s worsening because of the ongoing impeachment probe, which could send articles of impeachment to the House floor around the Dec. 20 deadline for averting another potential shutdown. The measure contains an assortment of technical provisions to ensure that spending on the 2020 census can ramp up despite delays in the agency’s full-year funding bill.

Source: thestar November 21, 2019 18:00 UTC