U.S. Congress passes short-term funding bill to avert gov't shutdown before election

WASHINGTON, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Congress on Wednesday overwhelmingly passed a short-term funding bill to avert a looming government shutdown.

The Senate voted 78-18 on Wednesday evening to clear the measure, following the House's approval with a 341-82 vote. All opposition in both chambers came from Republicans.

The package, negotiated by House Speaker Mike Johnson and leading Democrats, would maintain government funding at current levels through Dec. 20, setting the stage for another budget battle three months later.

It also includes an additional 231 million U.S. dollars for the Secret Service to boost the agency's resources related to the security of the presidential campaign, following two apparent assassination attempts on former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate.

Trump has publicly demanded that congressional Republicans force a government shutdown unless they pass the so-called Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, which would have required all Americans to show proof of citizenship to register to vote, even though it is already illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections.

Regardless of Trump's demand, Johnson and other prominent Republicans have argued that a GOP-driven government shutdown just a little over a month before Election Day would be "political malpractice," worrying that their party would be blamed for a government shutdown.

The bill has now been sent to President Joe Biden, who is expected to quickly sign it into law, before the current government funding expires on Sept. 30, when the fiscal year ends.

Both chambers are scheduled to adjourn this week for an extended recess and won't reconvene in Washington until after the Nov. 5 election, allowing some lawmakers to get back to their home states to campaign for re-elections.