US Congress passes bill to avert shutdown

The US Congress averted a Christmastime government shutdown early yesterday after weeks of tense negotiations that went down to the wire, passing a bill to fund federal agencies through mid-March.

With the midnight deadline already expired by minutes, senators dropped normal procedure to fast-track the package to a vote, halting government shutdown preparations and saving Christmas for more than 800,000 workers at risk of being sent home without pay.

"It's good news that the bipartisan approach in the end prevailed... It's a good outcome for America and the American people," Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a speech on the Senate floor.

Lawmakers avoided all that holiday-season pain by funding the government until March 14 in a package that includes $110 billion in disaster aid and financial relief for farmers.