House Avoids Government Shutdown

The House on Thursday passed a two-week stopgap spending bill one day before a deadline to avoid a government shutdown on mostly partisan lines, though 14 Democrats voted “yes” and 18 Republicans voted “no”. The spending patch through Dec. 22 gives lawmakers time to negotiate a bipartisan budget deal. At that time, Congress is expected to pass another short-term patch so that appropriators can craft a spending package to keep federal agencies funded through the rest of the 2018 fiscal year. Read more here.