WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has passed a short-term spending bill that keeps the government running for six weeks and buys time for future budget negotiations.
The 352-66 vote sends the measure to President Barack Obama in time to avert a government shutdown at midnight.
The legislation gives Congress and the White House more time to iron out their differences on a $1 trillion-plus pile of unfinished budget work.
The vote also ends a fight over whether some aid for victims of Hurricane Irene and other natural disasters should have been offset by cuts elsewhere.
Lawmakers decided to drop $1 billion in disaster relief and cuts to a loan guarantee program that helps automakers retool factories to meet new fuel economy standards.