US House passes stopgap funding bill to avert govt shutdown

The news: The US House of Representatives has passed a temporary spending bill that would avert a government shutdown.

The numbers: The stopgap spending bill passed 336-95, with bipartisan support. It would extend government funding at current levels through to mid-January, giving lawmakers more time to craft detailed spending bills covering everything from the military to scientific research.

The context: To prevent a shutdown, the Senate and Republican-controlled House must enact legislation that President Joe Biden can sign into law before current funding for federal agencies expires at midnight on Friday. The proposed legislation now heads to the Senate, where Democratic and Republican leaders have voiced support. Congress has been in a fiscal standoff, following a months-long impasse over the more than $31 trillion in US debt, which brought the federal government to the brink of default.