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Senate advances spending bill to keep government open

The bill to temporarily avert a shutdown would need House support, which is not guaranteed.
Senate advances spending bill to keep government open
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The Senate has voted 77-19 to advance a short-term spending measure to keep the government open, according to new documents released on Tuesday afternoon.

The documents outline a short-term, bipartisan deal that would keep the government open until Nov. 17.

Their release was expected, and is not enough on its own to steer the government clear of a possible shutdown.

Republicans in the House of Representatives said they would begin passing appropriations bills on Tuesday as a way to begin closer negotiations with the Senate on a broader spending bill.

The Senate's bill, meanwhile, includes nearly $4.5 billion in emergency funding for the Department of Defense, "to respond to the situation in Ukraine and to refill U.S. military inventory." Another $1.65 billion in emergency funding would provide direct assistance to Ukraine.

Nearly $6 billion is earmarked for FEMA's Disaster Relief Fund, with most of the money going to boost FEMA's ability to respond to major disaster declarations. The agency was running low on money as of September, thanks largely to a summer of unprecedented extreme heat and an active hurricane season.

SEE MORE: Latest disasters have White House seeking more FEMA funding

It's not clear if Speaker Kevin McCarthy would bring the bill up for a vote in the House.

If Congress can't agree on a bill, a government shutdown could occur as soon as Saturday, Sept. 30. 


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