Senate races to pass government funding bill as shutdown draws near

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) set up a path to vote on a bill to fund the government’s remaining agencies Friday, putting in place an alternative plan in case a time agreement is not met ahead of a looming partial government shutdown at midnight.

The action in the Senate comes after the House passed the remainder of its annual appropriations bills on Friday, marking the first step toward avoiding a shutdown, just hours before federal funding is set to lapse. However, there’s some uncertainty about whether the Senate will be able to move the legislation ahead of the midnight deadline.